The Dying Stream
by Spiritslayer
Summary: Yuffie is being put to the political grinder by her father, but she's as not interested in Wutai as she is in Shinra's newest developments - and deciding whether the newest director is really concerned for the Planet, or if he has other motives...
1. The Forgotten

The Forgotten City of the Ancients was a place of bitter memories for most. For the heroes of Meteorfall, it was where Sephiroth took one of their friends. For others, such as survivors of Geostigma, it was a place that served only to remind them of how easily swayed a hopeful heart can be by nothing but words.

The ominous air was always present, as though something wrong were going to happen at any given moment. The scant few monsters that remained living around the city even avoided it, though this was mostly due to their primitive thoughts of not finding dinner in such a place. Still, there were a few monsters who had enough intellect to know something was amiss in the ruins.

At night, only the monsters heard the haunting song echoing from the ruins. Even the dumbest of them knew something was wrong, and all of them went running from it.

Tonight was one such night. The voice, a sorrowful female's, was singing a song that rang through the night air, bounced off the walls of the ruined city and traveled a fair distance through the Sleeping Forest. The monsters were running away from it as fast as possible, none too keen to meet the soul dwelling within.

However, one being stepped _toward_ the city, paying the song no real attention.

To him, it was a signal.

He reached up and scratched the side of his head gently, his midnight-black hair swaying slowly in the small breeze. He looked around his surroundings with an air of familiarity, dropping his hand after a moment. He stared straight ahead at the central building, hints of a wicked smile donning his face.

"She's here," he murmured quietly, stepping forward.

He tugged gently at the collar of his black coat as he walked, his midnight black eyes darting from spot to spot. He finally stopped tugging at the collar, eyes focused upon the small body of water outside the building. He searched their depths for a moment, then shrugged, eyes darting to the being floating _above _the waters.

Her own eyes were closed, her mouth open as the song spilled from her mouth. She levitated above the water, legs crossed in a seated position, hands clasped in her lap. She stopped singing for a moment, took a deep breath, and resumed singing.

He took in her form for a while. Her oddly emerald hair also swayed in the breeze, and he could imagine just as vivid emerald eyes seeing things unseen.

"Fana'tothalo," he said suddenly, stepping toward her. As he walked, he, too, levitated above the waters.

She stopped singing and opened her eyes, emerald orbs focused upon his midnight black ones. "Fana'tothalo," she repeated, assuming a standing position slowly.

"How goes the craft?" he asked simply, stopping inches from her, embracing her with no delay.

She returned the embrace, sighing. "No luck. Perhaps this isn't to be after all..." she murmured quietly.

He pulled back for a moment, gazing into her eyes. "Surely you can't be serious," he snapped suddenly. "All this time and effort put into it, a waste? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

She avoided his gaze for a moment, pulling away from him entirely after a moment. She strode across the water's surface, her footsteps leaving the waters undisturbed. "...That's not what I'm saying," she said slowly, carefully. "I'm just thinking perhaps... I'm the wrong one to--"

He stamped a foot angrily upon the water's surface, the action causing no disturbance itself. "You're the most in-tune with the place!" he said furiously. "Only _you_ can succeed in this endeavor!" He took a few angry steps toward her, fists clenched.

She turned to face him, her eyes glowing fiercely. "And if you attack me out of anger, we both know how that will end," she warned, crossing her arms.

Her words seemed to calm him, and he slackened his fists. "...Is there something impeding your progress?" he asked after a moment.

She returned to her previously calm state. "I believe so. I can't pinpoint its location, though, or it would've already been dealt with accordingly..."

He spread his arms slowly, closing his eyes. "Then perhaps I can succeed in that," he mused.

His form started to contort, becoming less and less human with each passing second. As his form shifted, it began emanating a black aura, one that intensified as his form settled into something closely resembling an enormous owl, whose 'feathers' were as midnight black as his hair and eyes had been.

She watched, shrugging slowly. "Do what you must, brother," she said simply, walking across the waters slowly toward the edge of the small lake. "I'll not stop you."

His avian eyes closed, the aura flying away from him quickly. He tracked the aura, searching for sudden disruption. The aura passed through trees, stone, and even the building's walls harmlessly, as though they weren't there.

His eyes opened suddenly as the aura impacted something. He focused the entire aura around the unfamiliar thing, and stared straight down, emitting a soft hooting noise.

She turned to look at him, noting the direction of his eyes. "Very well," she said softly, crossing her arms. As she did, her own form contorted, becoming that of an elegant serpent, each and every scale a striking emerald color. An emerald colored aura erupted from her, though she suppressed this quickly. As soon as the shapeshifting was finished, she dove under the water suddenly, the water's surface responding to the sudden impact.

She kept going until she spotted the spot where her brother's aura was focused. She narrowed her eyes at it before lashing her body around it, snatching it in her coils. She gave it a firm squeeze before rising above the water once more.

He withdrew the aura from the obstruction to reveal a woman with brown hair, struggling to break free from his sister's grasp. He clicked his beak disappointedly, shifting back to humanoid form after a few seconds. "So, it's _you_ who obstructs our craft," he said simply.

The woman glared at him, ceasing her struggle for the time being. "What you do here is unnatural, and threatens the very stability of the region," she snapped angrily, wincing as the emerald serpent gripped her tighter.

He chuckled. "Sister, let her go. No sense _hurting_ her," he mused, striding toward the woman. He eventually reached a hand out, eyes focused upon hers.

She stared back, transfixed by his gaze, unable to move, though the coils had already withdrawn from her.

His hand passed through her cheek, and he chuckled once more, this time darkly. "As I suspected. One with the Lifestream, therefore impossible to touch. Except for our _true_ forms," he added, glancing at his sister, who had shifted back to her own human form.

The woman smacked his hand away, backing away from him. "...What are you two?" she finally asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

He looked at his sister, smirking. "We need not answer that. The puppet has no need for such knowledge."

The woman glared at him. "Puppet?! I am no such--"

Her words cut off sharply, however, as his eyes glowed briefly. "You may not be a puppet yet," he said smoothly, "but you'll get there in no time. Put simply, you are no longer free to do what you will." He nodded to his sister. "Continue."

She nodded, her song filling the air slowly.

The woman's mind spun as she watched. She tried crying out, tried doing _anything_ that would stop the sister from singing.

He laughed as he sensed her thoughts of rebellion. "Stubborn, aren't you?" he mused. "At least you realize the reality of the situation now. You can't resist my will."

The sister's eyes glowed emerald before she closed them. The air around her rippled slowly, the airy ripples slowly becoming waves. Those waves continued to grow in size until she opened her eyes once more.

The woman watched in horror, dreading what was about to happen.

The waves of air suddenly began a reversal process, pouring into the sister's clasped hands. She watched as the water below them began filling the small space in her hands, followed by the earth below them. The trees around them were also pulled in, as well as the buildings themselves.

Within a matter of moments, the three of them were surrounded by nothing but empty space, the ruined city having vanished from around them. The mountain range that surrounded the city was still present, but everything else was now encased in a small sphere clutched in the sister's two hands.

The woman gaped, her hair fluttering in the breeze. "N...no..." she managed.

He nodded his approval. "Good. We're getting there." He jerked his head toward the woman. "Now... _you_ will restore it. You have the ability to resist my sister," he added, cutting off the woman's protests, "so I know it's in your power to restore it _exactly as it should be_." He grinned wickedly. "Of course, we all know what will happen if you get even _one minor detail_ wrong."

The woman gulped, not noticing that the sister had thrust the small orb into her hands. "...That power..." she murmured quietly, shaking her head. Her brown hair shook with the movement. "Then... you two could only be..."

He laughed. "Forgive me for skipping introductions. I am Saahan. That is Riuni. As for _what_ we are... for you, it's unimportant." He stared the woman in the eyes. "Now, your turn. You would be...?"

She didn't want to introduce herself, but heard the words escape her lips at his simple urging. She managed to close her eyes as she said...

"...Aeris Gainsborough..."

* * *

_The first chapter of a story that should probably wait until AFTER I update the other story in progress, but something I think has potential._

_As with **Of Crystals Born**, first you get to see the new baddies. WHAT they're planning, however, is uncertain at this point, though I fully understand it._

_Drop a review if you feel so inclined and let me know what you think._

_Next chapter, Yuffie's twenty-third birthday WAS going well until she let something slip that caused some chaos of its own. While the rest of her friends go crazy, one friend persuades her to tell the ENTIRE truth of the matter. What did Yuffie do, and why does Vincent always seem to know something about EVERYTHING?_

_Until next time. -Spiritslayer_


	2. Surprises

Rain pounded on the roof of Tifa's bar, the water running off the roof onto the street below.

It was the only noise present inside, everyone frozen in a state of disbelief.

Yuffie Kisaragi, not surprisingly, was the cause of it.

She shifted uncomfortably, eyes flicking to Tifa, who had just been about to pour a drink. She looked to Cloud, then to Barret, Cid, Reeve, Shelke, Shalua (who had since woken), then, with some reluctance, to Vincent, whose crimson eyes regarded her almost... sternly.

"...I'm... sorry?" she ventured cautiously.

The two words caused a furious vocal eruption from Barret. "Wha's this about? I thought they were _done_ with tha' shit!" he roared angrily.

She shrugged. "I... guess not?"

Tifa shook her head, closing her eyes. "...Why are they doing this?" she finally said.

"You'd have to ask them," Yuffie said timidly.

Cloud continued to stare at Yuffie, who eventually caught his gaze. "...Let me get this straight..." Cloud finally said, breaking the renewed silence. "Shinra... is going to reinstate the Mako program?"

She didn't want to nod, but figured not responding at all would just make them all angrier.

Barret was cursing angrily, using colorful new words that made Yuffie grateful that Tifa sent Denzel and Marlene away to a friend's place for the evening. Yuffie couldn't resist saying "I didn't know _half_ of those words existed."

Her attempt at humor only made the situation worse, as Barret began cursing at her directly. She winced, deciding it was deserved, and looked at the others for some sort of support.

She found none, at least not readily.

She'd never been able to read Vincent's expressions clearly before, but his hadn't changed since she broke the news.

Barret stopped cursing long enough to take a drink, giving Yuffie time to say, "It's not my fault, so don't shoot the messenger..."

"How did you find out?" came the question Yuffie was dreading. She glanced at Vincent, who had asked, then chuckled weakly.

"Um... see, that's kind of the thing..." she began slowly.

"...You're working with them?" Tifa asked incredulously.

Yuffie looked at everyone, a pathetic grin on her face. "...Surprise," she offered meekly.

Everyone but Vincent shook their heads in disbelief. The latter just continued staring at her.

"Yuffie, why?" Tifa asked in disbelief. "You've always _hated_ them! Why work with them now? And why are you _still_ working with them, considering what they're planning?"

"Um..." Yuffie thought for a few seconds. "...It's complicated?"

"It damn well better be!" came Barret's furious response. "Cuz if it was simple as 'I wanted to', I'd have to blast you to pieces!"

She shrugged. "Lucky me..."

No one responded, causing her to sigh.

"...It wasn't my choice. I was... kinda forced into it?"

"Yuffie, please tell me you're just pulling our leg," Tifa said, her eyes pleading.

Yuffie met the barmaid's eyes. "...I'm pulling your leg?"

Everyone but Vincent sighed in what seemed to be relief.

"You're not," he said simply.

"...No, I'm really not. Just... she said say it, so I did." Yuffie realized her attempt at humor was probably the worst thing she could've done all evening.

She lost track of what happened next, and before she knew it, she was outside with Vincent firmly gripping her shoulder with his left hand. Barret's gunarm was putting holes in the ceiling, making Tifa furious, and causing otherwise widespread anger.

"Um... what just happened?" she asked Vincent meekly.

"Your horrible attempt at lightening the mood backfired."

"I noticed. I mean what happened _after_ that?"

Vincent gestured inside. "Ask Barret. We both know _he's_ in a talkative mood tonight."

Yuffie laughed weakly. "Aha, no... I'll pass. I'd rather survive my twenty-third birthday with as few bullet holes in me as possible." She glanced inside. "...Though that's more than can be said for Tifa's upstairs," she added.

"Quite." He nodded toward the monument. "We talk."

"Okay..."

"_Alone_." He squeezed her shoulder tighter, causing her to wince.

"Ow, ow, ow. Okay, I get it." She started walking toward the monument, ignoring the fact that it was now pouring on her and Vincent. The walk to the monument was silent; Yuffie kept wondering what it was Vincent wanted to talk about.

"Your information is too good to simply be working 'with' them," he said bluntly, fixing his expressionless eyes upon her intently the moment they reached the monument. "You learned this somehow, either without them realizing, or by being in their 'good graces', as it were."

"And we all know I'd sooner kill all the Turks in fistfights than be in their 'good graces'. Yeah, I stole the information." She would have puffed out her chest in pride if the situation weren't so dire.

"Yet you're still working with them."

"Mm... not directly. My old man's got me bouncing between Wutai and Shinra, so... consider it a political venture, I guess..."

"And since when have such things interested you?" Yuffie realized that Vincent's tone was rising, and recognized it.

He didn't believe her.

"Since my old man had a heart attack."

Silence met her ears.

"...I've lived pretty casually these last seven years, and it made me forget just how... _important_ my role as 'daughter to ruler of Wutai' actually is. So to have him nearly keel over 'cause of a heart attack... it opened my eyes, and I've kind of been trying to get into that crap."

"...I never knew." Vincent's tone was suddenly one she'd never heard him take before.

Sympathy.

"Yeah, he wanted to keep it all quiet. Didn't want to let the rest of the world know that Wutai's leader could possibly be dying and all that..."

"...So you don't support Shinra's decision, then."

"Hell no. I thought they were making progress seeking new power sources, so to hear that they're getting ready to fire up the remaining Mako reactors and use them again..." She shook her head. "I'd go in there and kick their asses if it wouldn't risk leaving Wutai leaderless when my old man _does_ die..."

"You still could," Vincent offered, traces of humor in his voice. "You're clever like that, right?"

"Yeah, well... I'd rather use those sort of skills on something _productive_, not mass murder." She sighed. "A shame my conscience would never let me live another moment peacefully, or I'd do it..."

She heard Vincent chuckle, and whirled to face him. "Did you just _chuckle_? By Leviathan, the Lifestream's stopped flowing!"

He let a small grin cross his expression. "Is it so difficult to believe?"

"_Yes_! In the seven years I've known you, you've _never_, not _once_, chuckled! You've grinned, sure, but never chuckled or laughed!" She felt a smile of her own appear. "Miracles _do_ happen!"

Vincent let the small grin fade slowly. "...Nothing changes. Shinra plans to continue their work, knowing full well-"

"Actually... that's the thing. The President didn't reach this decision on his own. He met someone who says he can turn Mako into a renewable power source, and this same guy's managed to convince the President that the Mako program's the best bet."

"Barret's oil company _does_ put forth fierce competition, especially since the Mako program's cancellation," Vincent agreed. "So the chance for Shinra to push back with renewable Mako is too good to pass up. They'd prefer to maintain-"

"The monopoly on energy sources," she said at the same time as him. "Yeah, Shinra's still evil like that."

Silence settled between them.

"...Something's off," Vincent finally said.

"You think so too? I think this is just too... convenient. Shinra's been floundering for a new power source for a while, and now they get one? It seems like they're being fooled. But who would want to _destroy_ the Planet willingly? _Aside from Sephiroth and Jenova_," she said, cutting off Vincent's reply.

"...Have you caught a glimpse of the one claiming to have renewed Mako?"

She nodded. "Don't know the name, though. That's classified to anyone beneath the board of directors. Makes sense, I guess, seeing whereas he's been _made_ a director..." She closed her eyes. "Black hair, not like yours, though. Yours is raven black, but this guy... his is just... _black_. And his eyes... damn weird. Yours are too, but this guy doesn't even appear to _have_ irises. His irises are just as black as his hair..."

Vincent stared at Yuffie for a moment, who opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"...Did I say something wrong?" she asked meekly.

"Not at all." He finally looked away from her.

"...You know something about this guy." She moved toward him, peering at his face. "The question about having seen him, my description... you know something."

"No, I don't."

"Spill it, Vinnie! I _know_ you do!" She grinned a little mischievously, tucking a few loose strands of her long black hair behind her ear. "You know something about this guy, and don't want to say, because you don't want to worry-"

"I know _nothing_ of him," Vincent said sternly, catching her eyes. He gave her his best subduing glare, noting it worked just as well as it did seven years ago. "You'd do well to drop the topic." He walked back toward the bar through the rain. "You might want to go back inside," he said, "before you get sick."

"Me? Get sick? 'Cause of a little rain? Nonsense! I'll be fine!" she called after him. "Who's this guy that-"

"I don't know!" he called back.

She chuckled as he walked inside. "I'll get sick in the rain..." she mused. "Yeah, right. Hell has a better chance of freezing over than that happening..." She turned her gaze to the monument, staring at it for a moment.

She suddenly sneezed, and when she was ready to pass it off as coincidence, she realized she was standing in the center of Edge, wearing nothing but wet clothing in less-than-comfortable temperatures.

She made her way back to the bar slowly, starting to shiver. _Vinnie was right..._ she thought. _And Hell's frozen over_.

As she walked inside, she caught Vincent's glance, who let traces of a smirk cross his face. He walked toward her, murmuring "I told you so," in a tone only she could hear.

"Shut up." She was still shivering. "Who is this guy you refuse to say anything about-"

"I don't know." Vincent fixed her with his subduing glare once more, ending the conversation. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

"I'll be fine, a little cold chill's never sto-" A sneeze interrupted Yuffie.

He watched her, amused.

"...A little rest couldn't hurt."

* * *

_Grah, computer fail. I had an Author's Note up, but when I hit the Save button... gone._

_Anyway, Chapter 2 is up. I'm not too pleased with it, personally, but then again..._

_Life's been busy for me, and between self-doubt on chapters and the like... well, no further explanation there, I'd imagine._

**_Throw Me A Shovel, I've Hit Bottom_**_, on hold. I don't like the next chapter because it's too... rushed. I'm going to focus on **The Dying Stream** because not only is the second chapter up, but I happen to think Chapter 3, which is all set, is good for publishing._

_I have a poll up on my profile, and would appreciate some feedback. I'm hinging a potential story on its results, one that I think has a bit of potential in and around itself. It'll be something to write after **The Dying Stream**, at least._

_Next chapter, Rufus Shinra ponders the meaning of an ominous nightmare. Meanwhile, Aeris fights with a couple things of her own. Why is the Ancient so focused on Riuni's individual thoughts?_

_I'll put up the next chapter in a few minutes. -Spiritslayer_


	3. Capacity

The New Shinra Electric Headquarters building was considerably smaller than the old headquarters in Midgar, but Rufus decided it was for the best. Smaller building, smaller Shinra staff, stronger focus.

He stared out the window absentmindedly, eyes scanning the trees around him. They seemed to stretch on for miles, but he knew better; he could see Midgar in the far distance.

"In retrospect, a blemish upon the world," he mused to no one in particular.

"Indeed."

The second voice made Rufus turn around. He gave a small nod to the speaker, indicating the chair across from his desk. "Sit, please."

The other obliged, watching Rufus intently for a few moments. "If Midgar is such a blemish, why not remove it entirely?" he offered.

The president shook his head. "There's no point in removing the reminder of my company's earlier failures." _Failures I suspect we're about to repeat_.

The other raised an eyebrow. "No point? How so? Don't you tire of seeing it, day after day, glaring at you from across the landscape?"

"I do, but it doesn't matter." Rufus clasped his hands behind his back, turning to face the window completely. "Suppose we _did_ remove it. What good would come of it?"

When he didn't receive a reply, he nodded. "Precisely. None. There's nothing wrong with leaving it, so there's no sense wasting money to have it removed."

The other shrugged lightly. "Whatever you say."

"Besides, why remove it? If your claims are _true_, then we'll need the Mako reactors in Midgar." He turned to face the other, a man with midnight black hair and eyes.

"My _claims_ may sound dubious, but they're true. Mako can be renewed."

"The Lifestream courses through the Planet every day. When a reactor withdraws the Lifestream and converts it to Mako, the Lifestream dwindles by that much. I fail to see how Mako, then, can be renewed... but that's why you're here, of course." Rufus sat down behind his desk, eyes peering into the other's midnight black orbs.

He didn't trust those eyes, to be honest. But he was more than willing to give this 'renewable Mako' a try.

The other simply sat, returning the stare with no readable expression.

They sat in silence, thinking to themselves.

"Do you fancy yourself the leader of a noble company, Rufus?" the other asked.

"No, not with our past. However, the new name, as well as our new promise, leave a bright future for us."

The man nodded slowly. "So you'd cast hope to a name and a few words?"

"I wouldn't call it 'casting hope'. It's a new start altogether, and it may very well be doomed to failure. It may be far less successful than we'd prefer, and such is never hoped for."

"Yet you try regardless. Is it considered perseverance by that point?" The other smirked. "Or idiocy and blindness?"

Rufus shot the man a sharp look. "I don't follow. Aren't you trying to garner my _support_ for your claims?"

"If you've failed once, oughtn't you remain defeated? This... clinging on, hoping for things to turn around..." The man stood from his seat, still smirking. "Unless you are the phoenix, you shouldn't try it. For attempting to return from an utter defeat will only see you repeating your mistakes."

Rufus stared in disbelief. "...Get out of my office. Never return. I've dealt with my fair share of idiots in the business venture, but never one as inept as you."

The other man laughed. "Mister President, you _are_ the naive one. New Shinra Electric has a future, yes, but it's far from noble. In fact, it won't be what you want it to be. Your mistakes will be repeated once over, but that's it."

Rufus slowly started to reach for his shotgun, unwilling to tolerate anything else from the man across from him.

Just as his fingers brushed the shotgun, however, he felt himself seize up entirely. He tried forcing himself to move, but found his body wouldn't obey any commands.

Or rather, they wouldn't obey _his _commands. He watched his hands rest upon the desk.

"Sadly, you're far too perceptive for me. I'd hoped I could take you Shinra fools and use you, but it seems your past mistakes have weighed too heavily on your consciences. It's made you far too wary, and I can't have that. Yet I need your, ah... 'official' support regardless, so one way or another..."

Rufus tried narrowing his eyes, but found even _that_ command didn't work. "...Who are you, and what are you plotting?" he managed to ask.

The man laughed. "Please, you know my name already. There's no point asking me such a senseless question, not when the reply will be the same as before."

"And your plan?" Rufus asked, trying to do _anything_ to oppose the silent control the man was exerting.

He simply smirked. "Mister President, that's a surprise best saved for last. I suppose I'll tell you this much, at any rate. You will accept my offer, and even go so far in your support that you'll immediately place me upon your board of directors, so you can have consistent updates."

"And if I simply say 'no'?" Rufus continued to fight the control, but to no avail.

The man laughed. "Naive fool... you no longer have the _capacity_ to resist. This company will be the spearhead of my plan, you will be the puppet who controls it for me. This way, all I have to do is control one person, as opposed to hundreds."

Rufus gritted his teeth as the man, Saahan, laughed triumphantly.

* * *

Rufus woke suddenly. He shook his head, sitting up.

_That nightmare again. Why does it bother me so?_ He slid off the bed, looking out the window. _Saahan... his intentions are well, and I've seen evidence of his claims... so what causes my mind to have such a nightmare? Am I just... afraid? Afraid that New Shinra Electric will lose to our past?_

As he stared out the window, trying to shake the dread feeling, he watched a black owl flap its wings to rise from its perch. He assumed it was about to begin its midnight hunt, as it had the last few nights he'd awoken from that nightmare and seen it outside.

_My mind's just being paranoid,_ Rufus finally concluded, lying down after the owl flew out of view. _Saahan's presence in New Shinra Electric is welcome, and the things he's doing for us only leave nobility ahead of us. Things will work out in the end, and when they do, I'll get to laugh at my own doubts._

He smiled a little as he thought about this, falling asleep once more.

Meanwhile, the black owl alighted upon another branch, watching Rufus from outside. It clicked its beak once, continuing to watch.

After a few moments of boredom, the owl flapped its wings and rose into the air, soaring through the sky, its enormous size blotting out the midday sun.

* * *

Riuni looked at Aeris, watched her wander the ruined city. She was certain the Ancient was trying to find some way to escape, but smirked inwardly; her brother had tasked her with making sure Aeris did no such thing.

Aeris was fully aware of the suspicion, but in fact, was making sure she had returned the Forgotten City to its original state. _Let the sister believe what she wants. I've no intention of fleeing, since being in their presence is the best thing I can do to monitor the situation._ She shivered a little. _As long as he's away, I can do some things of my own free will; the things I can't do, his sister prevents me from doing._

Riuni watched as Aeris walked toward the central building. "...Where are you going?" she asked curtly.

Aeris jumped at the sudden voice. "There's one place I haven't checked on yet. You're welcome to follow, if you wish."

Riuni scoffed, following the Ancient. "I don't have time to babysit you..." she murmured.

Aeris glanced over her shoulder in such a way that the action wasn't very noticeable. She regarded Riuni before facing forward again. "So far, the city seems to be in proper order," she said, pretending she hadn't heard Riuni's griping. "But if even one thing's wrong..."

The two walked inside the central building, Aeris at the front. She moved swiftly for the crystalline city that lurked below, the place where everything had changed seven years ago.

In truth, Aeris had a plan, but needed to know how much liberty she had before she tried executing it.

As she walked down the crystal steps, she let the beauty of the hidden city overcome her. She smiled despite the situation, and felt more at ease with herself as she descended further.

Riuni remained at the top of the steps, deciding that there was nowhere for the Ancient to go but up if she really wanted to flee.

"Say, Riuni..." Aeris said softly. The nature of the city, however, carried her voice so it seemed as though she were standing next to Riuni.

"What?" the latter snapped.

"Do you truly hate the Planet?" Aeris couldn't resist hopping from one crystalline pillar to another, toward the spot where Sephiroth impaled her years ago. "Or do you just detest the people?"

Riuni narrowed her eyes. "What's it to you?"

"Just curious." Aeris lost her balance for a split second, but managed to regain it. She continued to the central platform and stretched her arms out, closing her eyes. "So?"

Riuni scowled. "I personally hate the people. The Planet's not worth a damn either way, so long as the people that oppose us are dead."

Aeris frowned. "So you'd destroy a world just to cease life? Including your own?" She turned to face Riuni.

Riuni didn't respond.

Aeris sighed exasperatedly. "Listen... if you hate the people, that's fine, but don't destroy the entire Planet if you're going to attack your enemy." She kneeled down and clasped her hands in a manner similar to her stance seven years prior.

"Since when does the marionette tell the puppeteer what to do?" Riuni snarled.

"Since when does the puppet believe herself to be the puppeteer?" Aeris said calmly, closing her eyes once more. "I can sense it somewhere in you, Riuni. You don't want this world to be destroyed, at least not as much as your brother does. He's manipulating you."

Riuni's eyes narrowed, flaring emerald. "You're in no position to say such things. I know my brother; he'd never be so... _desperate_ as to manipulate me."

Aeris chuckled despite herself. "When I was resisting your spellsong, I sensed that small part of you that didn't want to do it. Yet you pressed on regardless."

The comment earned her what should've been a slap across the face, one that startled her regardless. She hadn't been aware Riuni had moved at all.

"I don't _care_ what happens to this wretched Planet! My only wish is that Sephiroth succeeded seven years ago, so my brother and I wouldn't have to do it ourselves!"

"You consider yourselves above Sephiroth, then. Above Jenova, to be precise." Aeris rubbed her cheek subconsciously, eyes searching Riuni's expression for any emotions other than fury. "You'd rather the 'weakling' did it for you, hm?"

Riuni laughed, the sound echoing through the city. "I'd rather claim vengeance upon the world myself, but if Sephiroth had beaten us to the punch, then there would've been no issue!" she hissed, eyes still flaring emerald. The flaring light engulfed Riuni, similar in manner to her transformation aura.

Aeris shook her head, disappointed. "I'd thought you the rational one between you and your brother, but it seems his own control over you is complete." She shuddered. "I can only hope I'm never fully controlled like that..."

Riuni struck Aeris hard enough to send the Ancient staggering dangerously close to the platform's edge. She grabbed Aeris by the neck, however, and threw her as hard as she could to the hard surface beneath her feet. "You know nothing of control, puppet!" she shouted angrily. "You, who are dominated, wouldn't know what it means to control another!"

"Similarly, neither would you," Aeris gasped between pained breaths. She coughed violently, her body shaking. "See sense, Riuni-"

The latter drove her foot into Aeris' stomach. "I see sense! To shut you up, it seems I'll have to kill you _again_! Your attempts at confusing my mind and heart are for naught!"

Aeris gasped desperately for breath, ignoring the severe pain she was in. "You... can't kill... me again..." she managed.

Riuni smirked, letting the aura engulf her entirely. "Are you so sure you wish to challenge?" she hissed, her body beginning to contort. "Or have you forgotten what I'm capable of?"

Aeris continued to gasp for breath, though this was quickly cut off by a long tail sliding around her throat. She clutched at it, tried prying it from her.

_"Riuni!"_ came a voice Aeris welcomed only this once.

Saahan stormed down the steps, eyes affixed upon his sister, who had let go of Aeris and begun shifting to her humanoid form. "I told you to watch after her, not _kill_ her! Have you lost your mind?"

"The things she said, brother! The things she suggested! How could I _not_ seek to silence her once and for all?" Riuni responded, gesturing to Aeris, who was slowly slipping in and out of consciousness. "She dared suggest you're manipulating me! You think I was going to sit idly by while she said such a thing?"

Aeris noticed Saahan's reaction to Riuni's words while she struggled for consciousness, and realized the truth before he could regain his 'furious' appearance. She didn't hear him shout his response, but managed a single thought before blacking out.

_Even Riuni's being controlled by her brother... what can I do...?_

_

* * *

_

_So, Chapter 3. Two chapters in one day._

I'd be proud of myself it it hadn't taken this... long to get them up.

Aeris is being as bold as possible - which, between her 'inability' to do much and Riuni's temper, is saying a lot.

As for Rufus... no such luck. I'll wait until there's been a chance for review before I point out the reasons behind this statement.

Now, I didn't touch on this in the last AN, but I'm listening to new music. It's mostly older Nightwish albums, such as Oceanborn and Wishmaker, but another amazing band that caught my eye is one Kamelot. I picked up the album Ghost Opera, and all I can say is... wow. Their music is amazing. I'll likely check out more of their work once I've had a moment to get my head to STOP. SPINNING. FROM. NEW. MUSIC. OVERLOAD.

I don't have Chapter 4 ready yet - it's not even typed yet! I'll get there, though.

Next chapter, two weeks have passed since Yuffie spilled the beans about New Shinra's reinstated Mako program. Her friends are murmuring words that make Yuffie worry about the not-too-distant future, and the formerly hyperactive ninja decides to take drastic measures of her own - but even if she insists it's for the good of everyone, why is Vincent so deadset on STOPPING her?

I'll get started on it. -Spiritslayer

P.S. - ...Also, very infuriating... my favored '-' dividers aren't registering, so I'm forced to use the solid bar that I've traditionally used to distinguish the story from the AN... maybe double bars for the AN? I'll think about it with the next chapter.


	4. Defiance

"We can't just sit idly while-"

"It's still no reason to just..." came Tifa's protest, which faded after a moment.

She, Barret and Cloud were sitting at one of the tables in Seventh Heaven, talking in hushed voices while Yuffie gathered up the glasses left behind on tables.

Yuffie was listening to them talk... and she didn't like the conversation one bit.

Barret grumbled before taking a long drink. "S'all the same again... Shinra's goin' back to their old ways. I don' see why _we_ shouldn't-"

Tifa gave him a hard stare. "We can't, Barret! It's been seven years now; some of us have _families_ to take care off now!" she protested sharply, albeit quietly.

Yuffie smiled a little despite herself. _Leave it to Tifa to be level-headed._

Barret glowered at Tifa, then looked at Cloud. "Yer point? That didn't change anythin' seven years ago. For God's sake, I left Marlene in capable hands back then; there's people you trust them two with now, righ'?"

Tifa bit her lip, looking at Cloud herself. "C'mon, Cloud, say... _something_. You've been too quiet..."

Cloud looked up at Tifa, then at Barret, then back to Tifa. "...We all know what Mako reactors do to the planet."

Yuffie's blood all but froze when she heard Cloud continue, "Barret's right; we can't just sit idly by."

"But-" Tifa began.

Cloud held up his hand. "Hang on." He looked at Barret. "We can't sit idly by, true... but neither can we constantly rise up, just because Shinra wants to play their little game. They must have a reason for it; they're as aware of the risks as the rest of us. We're not AVALANCHE anymore, Barret... those days are long past."

Yuffie sighed with relief, causing Barret to glower at her. "Shu' up, Shinra spy," he snarled.

Tifa shook her head, taking his drink from him. "We're not doing this, Barret. _At all_."

Cloud hesitated for a moment. "...Not yet, anyway. If they have no good reason to reinstate the Mako program... well, we won't have a choice, will we...?"

Yuffie froze at those words.

"Right, Tifa?" Cloud continued.

The barmaid closed her eyes. "I... yes. We'll... we'll give them time first... before we make any rash decisions."

Barret gave a small 'hmph'. "...Fair enough. I'll give 'em two weeks, the mos', 'fore I let 'em know the _hard_ way tha' they've screwed up again."

"Is two weeks really enough time...?" Tifa asked exasperatedly.

"More'n enough," Barret grumbled. "So we agreed on this?"

Cloud nodded. "It sounds fair enough to me. Two weeks is enough time to release a statement in regards to their decision. If they don't, they're hiding something... and that's never good for the rest of us."

Tifa looked between the two disbelievingly. "...You two..."

Cloud and Barret looked at her expectantly. "Do you agree with this?" Cloud asked her.

However Tifa responded, Yuffie didn't know.

Where Yuffie had stood behind the bar counter, only dirty glasses remained. Water was drizzling from the faucet in a very thin stream.

Yet the ninja was nowhere near the glasses or sink.

She was upstairs, in the spare bedroom she was staying in for the duration of her visit to Edge.

"This isn't good..." she muttered to herself, pacing slowly. "They're my friends, and by Leviathan, I love them all... but how can they even _think_ of this now?"

She glanced at her cell phone, frowning slightly. "Maybe I should call..." she began, her voice trailing after a second. "...No... if I warn Shinra, there's no telling what will happen to everyone here... but I can't just let them plot against Shinra, either..." She groaned. "Oh, what to do...?"

She let her thoughts race for a few moments before snatching up her phone. "...Ugh," she grumbled, dialing a phone number. "Looks like I'm pursuing the third option..." she mumbled to herself as she brought the phone to her ear. She started to tap her foot as the phone continued to ring. "C'mon... c'mon..."

"Yuffie? What's wrong?" came the response she was all but waiting for.

"Everything. _Everything's wrong_. I need whatever information you have on the Mako program, and _fast_. As in, 'before two weeks' fast."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris opened her eyes to find herself staring at, quite possibly, her greatest enemy.

Yet, the smile on Saahan's face was anything _but _hostile. "You've awakened. Good; I was worried Riuni actually caused permanent damage to you."

She groaned, sitting up slowly. "Ah..." she gasped, eyes looking around. "Where..."

"The Forgotten City, of course. I've moved you out of that crystalline city and into one of the conch-shell homes." He continued to smile.

She tried to ask the question burning most vividly in her mind, but sighed with what little self-control she possessed - he was keeping her under firm control.

His smile vanished instantly, replaced by an angry expression. "You wonder why I would... confound my own sister. Why I would _force_ her to help me accomplish my goal. Why I would control her the way I control you."

She managed to nod wordlessly.

He stood abruptly, knocking the crate he'd been seated upon away from him. "That's hardly your concern, Aeris. All you need to know, is this: I never, _ever_, manipulate the minds of family. What Riuni does is of her own free will."

"Explain the expression when Riuni 'called' you out on it, then," Aeris said without thinking. It took her a moment to realize she had managed to speak at _all_.

This caught him off-guard, eliciting the same expression she saw the first time. And, just like the first time, he covered it with split-second timing. "I've spoken with her about that, at her behest. And we've resolved that particular issue."

Aeris hesitated, then attempted to ask another question - one that Saahan's control intercepted.

"Suffice to say, I no longer trust you away from me. And so, wherever _I_ am supposed to be, _Riuni_ will be instead. This way, there can be no sudden disruptions."

Aeris shivered at the prospect of having Saahan hovering around her non-stop - or, at least, having him nearby at all occasions. "...You seek to create complete control over me, as you have with Riuni."

He bristled with anger, but said nothing else as he walked away swiftly.

As he walked away, Aeris had a sudden thought, one that Saahan's control didn't prevent. _Perhaps... it's best if she takes his place, after all... there's more chance to have seeds of doubt planted in her mind, and help her resist his control..._

Encouraged by this thought, her eyes flicked to the crate he had been seated upon. _Isn't that... Shinra's logo...? _she wondered to herself, frowning. _What could Saahan have to do with Shinra...?_

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"...And that's all I've got," the voice on the other end said.

Yuffie rubbed her temples. "...Ugh, that's not nearly _enough_... that's all public knowledge by now, or will be within twenty-four hours..." She sat down upon the bed, falling upon her back. "Anything _new_, from... _anywhere_?"

The voice hesitated. "...The new director..." it began.

Yuffie raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"...He's stopped coming in. Sent in his secretary instead. Said she's capable of handling everything in Shinra, and that he has pressing business back home."

"More pressing than his promotion to director, as well as the responsibilities that come with it?" Yuffie was intrigued. "That's strange in its own right."

"No one else in Shinra's protesting, though. As though it's fine the new director's up and left the headquarters, corresponding through his secretary."

"Poor leadership... or a cover-up for something else..." Yuffie murmured.

"I think so, too. He's hiding something, and using this... secretary of his to hide."

"What was the pause?" Yuffie asked, sitting up swiftly. "You think she's... _not_ his secretary?"

"I... I don't know what to think of her. She's... _intense_. She has her nose in just about... _everything_ going on in Shinra. From the most inane topic to top secret, she knows something about everything. She has an opinion on all of it, and isn't afraid to express that opinion - even to the President himself."

Yuffie frowned. "A real uppity bitch, in other words... I already hate her."

"Not your average secretary," the voice agreed.

"...Maybe this is a lead to pursue," Yuffie said after a moment. "I'll look into it myself, keep you in the clear. A 'random Shinra employee' snooping around for more information will be hard to pin, as opposed to an outsider like you."

"Right." A moment's pause. "Yuffie?"

"Hm? What's up?"

"...Be careful. In all fairness, you're an outsider, too; the Wutain representative can't be caught snooping around, either."

Yuffie chuckled. "You forget I'm Great Ninja Yuffie of Wutai; _no one_ catches me when I put forth a _real_ effort."

Laughter erupted from the other end. "Now _that_ I haven't heard you say in a _long_ time. Seriously, though, be _careful_."

Yuffie smiled to herself. "Thanks. I will be." She hung up the phone and ran her fingers through her hair. She picked up a few things and, after making sure she had everything she believed she needed, she opened the door.

She gasped in surprise to find Vincent standing on the other side, a frown on his face, his arms crossed. "Vincent! You startled-"

"You aren't leaving," he interrupted in a matter-of-factly tone, accompanied by a glare.

"Wh- you were listening," Yuffie said quietly.

"Tifa wanted to know where you were, why you stopped closing the bar. She asked me to check." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I didn't think you were _this_ foolish."

Yuffie grabbed the collar of his cloak and pulled him into the room, closing the door after he was in. She whirled to face him as he gathered himself once more. "_This _isn't as foolish as what _they're_ planning!" she hissed. "They would threaten the peace, however tenuous, that has finally overcome Gaia, just because-"

"And you would shatter that peace for _certain_ if you head to New Shinra's headquarters right now," Vincent retorted sharply.

"The threat of war looming isn't as dangerous as-" Yuffie began.

"If you go to New Shinra-" Vincent interrupted.

"Oh, would you _stop it_?" Yuffie snapped angrily. "New Shinra, Old Shinra, _it's all the same in the end_! They're going the way of their old company policies! _Someone_ has to stop them!"

"Even if that someone happens to be the representative of Wutai, and the heir to the Wutain throne?" Vincent replied coolly. "This is too risky, Yuffie; _drop it_."

She gave him her absolute best glare. "That's _never_ been a reason in the past! Traveling with the others seven years ago, it didn't _matter_ that the heir to the Wutain throne was amongst the travelers!"

Vincent glowered at her. "It was a time of fighting, of chaos. There was no real peace seven years ago-"

"Look, just _shut up_, Vincent! There's some _other_ reason you don't-" She stopped suddenly. "..._Him_. The new director. You know who he is, and you know he's dangerous; otherwise, you wouldn't be stopping me," she said quietly.

"I've told you already, I know nothing about him," he replied calmly. "_Nothing_."

Yuffie stared at him. "You're a horrible liar, you know that?" She rested her hand on the doorknob, ready to open the door.

She felt his hand grip her shoulder firmly. "Yuffie, if you go to New Shinra-"

"What, Vincent? You going to tell my father? Huh?" She whirled around, smacking his hand away from her. "Or Cloud? Tifa? Barret? You going to tattle on me when I'm trying to get some solid facts about this situation?"

Vincent regarded her for a moment, hand hovering in the place where Yuffie's smack left it.

"Sometimes, the most risky path is the one with the least bloodshed, Vincent. It's taken me seven years to figure this out, and what _they're_ planning," she said, jerking a finger downstairs, "is the _easy_ path, paved with blood. Innocent, guilty... pure, corrupt... it won't matter." She turned back to the door angrily, stepping outside the door, hand ready to close it behind her.

"I'm warning you, Yuffie; do _not_ go to New Shinra," Vincent said firmly.

"Tell me what you know about the new director, and I may not _need_ to," she retorted, facing him angrily.

Silence settled between them.

"Yuffie-"

_Slam_.

Vincent found himself facing the door, and listened to Yuffie's footsteps as she walked away. He let out a slow, frustrated sigh before opening the door. He heard Tifa ask something, and heard Yuffie's infuriated response. _A few more seconds, and_- He heard the front door slam shut.

"...You're going to get killed at this rate, Yuffie," Vincent muttered under his breath as he walked downstairs to explain why the Wutain ninja was so angry.

* * *

_Yuffie's hyperactivity may have toned down substantially in this story, but she's still... rash with her decisions sometimes._

_World of Warcraft's new expansion is only about a week away. I've been leveling a night elf mage (as per the new race/class combos), and... I don't know if it's just ME, or a problem with the game... but I'm having a HELL of a time doing the new quests in Western Plaguelands. I'd like to say I lag like never before there, but not even lag allows an enemy to freely attack me while I'm stuck trying (keyword: TRYING) to cast Pyroblast. I went from full health to dead, before my very eyes, WITHOUT casting a single spell... AFTER pressing the hotkey for Pyroblast. Infuriating... I pray it's just my connection, because the zone itself seems amazing... also, I don't have the problem with any of my OTHER characters, while they're elsewhere in the new world of Azeroth._

_Not much else to say right now. Guess I'll just skip right to..._

_Next chapter, Yuffie's foray into Shinra's headquarters nets her only a fraction of the information she sought - and a bit of other information that makes her wonder not WHO the new director is, but WHAT he is... -Spiritslayer_


	5. Security Breach

Aeris couldn't get the crate open at all. And it was starting to frustrate her; she had a suspicion there was something important inside the crate from Shinra.

So far, Saahan hadn't tried to stop her - in fact, he seemed amused by her efforts to open it. Even now, he was watching the Ancient amusedly. _At least it's keeping her occupied_, he mused.

She frowned at the crate, turning it around slowly. _Sealed shut... if it wasn't important, it'd be easy to open... _She crossed her arms, examining it closely.

"Having fun?" Saahan asked, making her jump. She turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "You'll never get it open."

She put her hands upon her hips. "We'll see about that. We'll see." She turned back to the crate. "...I have a question for you."

"You've free will right now; I'm feeling relaxed."

"Why is it... why is it you despise the people of the planet so much, that you'd destroy the planet itself just to kill them?"

His amused expression faltered. "They're all savages. Those savages want _us_... Riuni, myself, others like us... they want us dead for no reason whatsoever."

Aeris knelt down to the crate once more, hands resting on the top. "There's always a reason, Saahan. Whether it be fully justified, or something as... senseless as causing trouble for the sake of causing trouble... there's always a reason." She resumed trying to open it once more. "Just like you. There are those who would wonder why you do what you do, yet you have a reason anyway... yes?"

He gave the back of her head a hard stare. "They _had_ no reason the first time, they _still_ have no reason nowadays." His midnight-black aura started to emanate from him. "They sought our death for no reason-"

"Perhaps they were just afraid of what they didn't understand," she interrrupted, giving up with the crate once more. "It's a poor reason, but a reason anyway."

The aura dissipated slowly, and he chuckled darkly. "Believe whatever you wish for the time being, puppet. I'll work that... 'quality' out of you with time."

She tried to speak again, but found words failing. She knew, in that instant, that Saahan had re-asserted his control over her. _I've learned something new about him today. He, unlike his sister, cannot be reasoned with..._

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"Did you lose her _again_?" a furious woman's voice shouted.

"I'm sorrry!" a timid male voice began. A fierce slap cut off his words, though.

"_Find her_!" the woman commanded.

Yuffie cursed her luck. _Dammit... I wasn't expecting to encounter any resistence at this time of night. _She peeked around the corner carefully, eyes upon the woman.

Her emerald eyes were narrowed, darting from Shinra guard to Shinra guard. She had one hand pointing down the corridor Yuffie was situated down, the other hand clenched at her side.

Her most prominent feature, however, was the emerald green hair that fell halfway down her back. The hair alone seemed to scream 'trouble' to Yuffie.

_Well, it's either her hair, or the fact that she's so... commanding. She acts like she runs the place... but I've never seen her before in my life..._ Yuffie glanced down at the weapon in her hand: the Conformer. _Was... was Vincent right about coming here tonight? Was this really a bad idea?_ She ducked behind the corner as she heard footsteps running down the corridor. Her eyes glanced around frantically, searching for an escape route, _some way_ she could-

Her eyes rested upon the ventilation shaft. _It... it's... not a bad idea, but... if I make too much noise up there..._

She heard a blood-curdling howl from down the hall, and glanced around the corner again in time to see the woman flick something off her fingers, the furious expression still on her face.

As Yuffie examined the scene a bit closer, she realized there was suddenly a fair bit of crimson spattering the wall behind the woman, and examined the spot where whatever had been on the woman's fingers had landed.

Yuffie's skin crawled as she realized that it was blood. A _lot_ of blood.

Enough blood to mean someone was either dying... or dead.

_I need to get the hell _out_ of here._ She looked up at the ventilation shaft once more, deciding it was the only truly safe spot to hide. She hid behind the corner once more, watching as at least four Shinra guards rushed past her location. She smirked at how lazy their search seemed to be before stepping from the wall, toward the ventilation shaft.

It took her a few moments to actually slip into the shaft, but she allowed herself a sigh of relief once she was in. She carefully replaced the shaft's guard before making her way away from the commotion.

Her phone vibrated, making her gasp. She cursed silently, pulling the phone into view. _Vincent..._ She bit her lip before shaking her head and putting it away once more. _To hell with him for now; I'll let him know how right he was _after_ I've escaped..._ A thought struck her suddenly, however, in regards to the murderous woman with the emerald hair. She pulled out the phone once more and began to write out a text message to her informant:

_'Who's the woman with green hair, emerald eyes, and the commanding attitude?'_

She hit 'Send' and put her phone away once more, continuing down the shaft. She listened to the commotion die down as she moved further away from it, unable to shake the bloody image now burning in her mind. _And I didn't even see what happened to the guy himself..._ She shuddered. _What's Shinra coming to, having someone like... like _her_ in the company...?_

Her phone vibrated, breaking her train of tought. She pulled it out and read the brief response:

_'The new director's secretary. Why?'_

Yuffie closed her eyes. _A secretary, having _that_ much authority...? There's no way..._ She started entering a response:

_'Crazy bitch. Acts like she's got absolute authority here.'_

She hit 'Send' once more, keeping the phone in hand as she kept moving. _...The... more I think about it... I have no idea how to get _out_ of this shaft..._ This sudden revelation made her tremble, and it took her a moment to realize why she was trembling.

Pure fear. She was terrified right now.

Her phone vibrated once more. The response:

_'Are you alright? What's wrong? What's going on?'_

She sent a brief summary of her flawless entry into New Shinra, her inability to find anything of note, and her eventual discovery by Shinra security. She hit 'Send' once more, then peeked through the nearest 'exit'.

_No lights on. This... well, this is probably as safe as I can get, given the situation..._ She began working the grate blocking her way as quietly as possible. It started to fall away from her uncontrollably, but she barely managed to catch it and keep it from hitting the floor.

She slipped out quietly and set the grate on the floor silently, walking toward the door. She pressed her ear against it and listened for anything on the other side. She sighed with relief at the silence on the other side, and began trying to calm her nerves. She still couldn't shake the terror she was suffering right now.

_If I make it out of here alive, I'll heed whatever warnings Vincent gives me, I swear to Leviathan..._ she thought desperately. She looked around the room and found her eyes resting upon a window. She felt her heart soar as she walked toward the window.

Her fingers started to pry the window open when she heard the door open behind her. Her blood froze, her breathing stopped entirely. She swallowed hard, fingers trembling.

"And _there's_ the intruder," came the woman's vicious snarl.

Yuffie glanced out the window, wondering how far she could get if she just broke the window and ran.

"There's nowhere for you to run," the woman snapped, striding toward Yuffie. The lack of lights made it hard for her to see-

Yuffie's eyes widened. _No lights on... she doesn't know _who_ the intruder is, then. If I can escape, I'm in the clear!_

Without any further hesitation, Yuffie threw her full weight against the window, shattering the glass. She tumbled outside, rolling on the ground. She fought back a pained cry as glass dug into her shoulder and arm, but stood quickly and just ran. She didn't care where she was going-

She cried out as _something _snagged her right ankle, tripping her and knocking her flat on her chest. She gasped for air as the impact winded her.

"Run from _me_, will you?" the woman laughed.

Yuffie turned to see the woman was standing-

She blinked. _Is that... a tail?_ She watched as the tail began transforming into two legs, but her mind raced all the same. _Is she even... is she even _human_? And if not..._

"_You_ are coming back with me; no doubt the president will be enthused to see our intrepid intruder brought before him." She felt the woman seize her ankle firmly and start dragging her.

Yuffie tried wriggling her foot free, but to no avail. _Her grip is strong..._ she thought wildly. Too_ strong... this isn't just a secretary, I know that for certain now._

She didn't know what happened next. All she knew was that the grip on her ankle released momentarily, but as soon as she tried moving her foot, her ankle was being grabbed once more. She began flailing after a moment as she continued to be dragged-

She blinked. _Wait, I'm being dragged... _away_ from New Shinra..._ She squinted through the darkness at her supposed savior.

She couldn't make out any features past the cloak fluttering behind her savior, but the cloak was all she needed to see.

"I told you," Vincent simply said.

Yuffie let the back of her head flop to the ground. "...I'm sorry..." she murmured.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Once Yuffie was safely back in Edge (locked in the spare room by Vincent, no less), she sat down on the bed. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her informant's number.

"Who are you calling?" came Vincent's voice, turning her attention to the gunslinger. He was leaning against the locked door, as though daring her to try and leave again.

"A friend," she said vaguely, moments before said 'friend' picked up. "Well, that could've gone better."

"Yuffie? Oh, you're alright... I started to worry-"

"About this... secretary. I was willing to write her off as a bossy bitch at first... but..."

"Did something happen?"

Yuffie bit her lip, glancing at Vincent. "...She has a tail. Or _did_ at some point."

"...What are you-"

"I'm _suggesting_ that this 'secretary'... isn't human. And if _she's_ not human... is the new director? I'm sure he knows there's... _something_ odd about his 'secretary'..." Yuffie tried meeting Vincent's eyes - an action that earned her a glare.

"Hm... it's something to look into, anyway..." A sigh. "...Look, just... be careful from now on, alright? When you stopped sending those texts, I thought for certain you were..."

Yuffie chuckled weakly. "Honestly? I thought I _was_ going to die tonight..." She looked away from Vincent. "So... that's all I've got out of this... no idea why he's still not coming in, and no idea why that psychotic bitch is there in his place... just some idea as to... what _she_ is. And if she works for _him_..."

"I'll do some poking around of my own, give you time to, ah... 'fade away' from this whole thing." The line went dead after they exchanged goodbyes.

Yuffie tossed the phone to the side casually. "...Well... you were right... _again_..." she said quietly, eyes finally flicking back to Vincent.

He simply looked at her through narrowed eyes. "Now you believe me."

Yuffie grinned weakly. "You know me... always need to learn something the _hard_ way first..."

He watched her for a few moments. "I almost didn't go after you tonight, you know."

Yuffie felt as though she had just been struck, and stared at him, dazed. "Wh-what? Why-"

"The danger was too great for you. Similarly..." He crossed his arms. "...It was also too great for me. I couldn't do anything more than save you without risking my own life. And even then..."

Yuffie stared down at her feet. "...I caused so much trouble tonight..." she whispered. "I'm... sorry, Vince..."

She heard the door open. "Sleep," he said before stepping outside the door.

"...Hang on."

He paused.

She looked up at him again. "It's not just the new director... is it? That 'secretary'... she _isn't_ normal. So come on, Vincent; forget who... _what_ are they?"

"I don't know," came the flat reply before the door closed. She heard him lock it, and flopped back onto the bed.

"Liar." _He knows more about this, I just _know_ it._

_

* * *

_

_I'm tired, but thought I'd put this up before I went to bed. Then I remembered I had to type it. And while I got typing, I got to downloading stuff._

__Now my connection's taking it's time, and I'm only 16% done with the last download of the night... least I have other things to do in the meantime.

Next chapter, it's just another day for Yuffie... until she runs into the new director's secretary again. Does she know Yuffie was the intruder? If so, why does she act like nothing's wrong...? -Spiritslayer


	6. Friendly Foes

"How are things, Riuni?" Saahan asked.

He was holding a small sphere in his hand, an image of Riuni clear within it.

She was scowling. "Caught a trespasser last night, but someone else came and rescued said trespasser."

He chuckled. "Shinra's always going to have spies working against it, even more so lately. Nothing to worry abo-"

"The trespasser was snooping around _your_ office, brother."

He fell silent instantly, eyes narrowing. "Now _that_ is a different matter altogether. Did you happen to see who it was, at the very least?"

"..." Riuni shifted uneasily. "...No. The trespasser kept to the shadows too-"

He growled. "Don't you blame _them_ for something _you_ failed to do!" he snapped. "Or did you forget what you are?"

The image of Riuni flickered in the sphere. "I know full well what I am, _brother_," she snarled in response. "And it changes _nothing_ for me." Her expression fell after a moment. "...For that matter, the trespasser... the trespasser _might_ know something's... 'off' about me."

He stared at her image.

"I used my tail to trip the trespasser last night, and... they turned around as I was turning my tail back into legs. Again, it was difficult to see them, as it was dark, but the fact remains-"

He gritted his teeth and threw the sphere at a nearby wall, ignoring the shattering noise that resulted from the impact. "'Might' this, 'maybe' that!" he snapped to himself. "By the ancestors, is Riuni really so _useless_?" He cursed under his breath, his aura emanating from the hand that threw the sphere. He focused the aura into his palm and began to create another sphere identical to the one he had shattered.

Riuni's image filled the new sphere, her expression one of annoyance. "Aren't you the eldest of all of us?" she asked with a sigh. "You act like you're a tiny baby when things never go your way."

He growled at her comment. "Don't you even start, Riuni," he snarled. "As to this trespasser, I want you to find them _no matter what_. It won't do if word starts to spread about your tail; everything must be _perfect_, do you understand me?"

"Yes, yes, completely. Rest assured, brother, I'm doing everything I can to track down the trespasser."

"You tell me to 'rest easy', but this is our life's work on the line. One wrong move, Riuni, and everything - _everything_ - is ruined. _Do you understand_?"

He wondered, for a brief moment, if he imagined the image of Riuni rolling her eyes. "_I understand_, brother. How many times must I repeat it? The trespasser won't get away with this, I promise you. Nor will I allow 'rumors' of me having a tail spread, for that matter."

He glowered at her image for a moment, then finally nodded. "Very well. I'll leave this matter in your hands, then, if only for a while longer. If I find out, however, that you've slipped up once more-"

"It won't happen." Her statement was so blunt and confident that it made Saahan feel... uneasy. "So then, by your leave...?"

"Yes, yes, go. Do what you must to deal with these issues." The sphere dissipated into the aura from which it was born once more, leaving him to ponder the situation. He walked away from the spot, completely oblivious to the fact that Aeris was hiding behind the wall upon which he'd shattered the first sphere.

It was Aeris's turn to think, as well. She walked around the wall to the place where he'd been standing. _Infighting? Does this mean that, with prolonged distance from her brother, she's able to weaken his control over her...? If so, then perhaps..._ She glanced at the fragments of the shattered sphere and picked one up, turning it over in her hand slowly. _...Perhaps there's hope to undermine his plans after all..._

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Not for the first time, Yuffie didn't want to go to New Shinra's headquarters.

As though the previous night had never happened, however, Vincent told her to go. "If you don't show up today, there will be suspicion by _her_. Last night, a trespasser roughly your size-"

"What's my size got to do with anything?" Yuffie had protested.

"-broke into New Shinra's headquarters. She nearly caught the intruder, but didn't. Imagine, then, if you didn't show up today. That's cause for suspicion." He had said all of this as though she'd never interrupted him.

"...True, but still, what if she knows right away-"

"She won't. If she identified you last night, she'd have made some manner of comment alluding to the fact. That she didn't means the intruder of last night remains anonymous." He had given her the sternest of looks. "You must go today if you're going to shake off any and all suspicion revolving around you."

Yuffie hadn't been able to protest further, and so she'd found herself standing outside New Shinra's headquarters once more.

As she approached, the doors opened - and the figure standing on the other side made her freeze for a split second.

_The secretary_, she thought wildly, watching as the emerald hair moved in her direction-

Her eyes widened. _She's coming right for me._

The secretary smiled at Yuffie. "And you must be Miss Kisaragi. I've yet to meet you."

_...No, she can't know. There's no way she'd be so... friendly if she did know._ She forced her fright down and forced a smile. "I am, though you can just call me Yuffie if you want."

The secretary chuckled a little. "Fair enough, then. I am Riuni, secretary to the new director. I'm here in his place while he's tending to more pressing matters back home."

_Liar._ "Is everything...?"

"Oh, I'm sure everything will be fine." Riuni waved her hand dismissively. "But enough about that; I'm sure you don't want to know about the director's personal life."

Yuffie had to fight every urge to argue with Riuni's assumption. _When you assume things..._ The adage faded away in her mind. "So... last night was crazy, wasn't it?"

Riuni glanced at Yuffie. "It was, actually. I don't recall seeing you in the building last night, though..."

_Uh-oh._ "I heard about it from a friend," Yuffie said quickly - perhaps a bit _too_ quickly, as Riuni's eyebrow rose slightly. "He's a security guard. Said he had been busy trying to track down an intruder all last night." _Please work..._

Riuni nodded. "Well, perhaps not _all_ last night, but that's the tendency of the guards to exaggerate, I guess. Yes, we had an intruder last night."

"He also mentioned that you took charge... rather well." Yuffie forced herself to laugh. "He even joked that you'd be the better director, between you and the actual director."

An expression Yuffie had never seen before appeared on Riuni's face. "...Me? A director?"

"Well, he said he was joking, don't forget... I mean, it's hard to replace a director in the first place, and even then, the secretary's almost never the prime choice as replacement..." Yuffie let her voice trail for a bit. "...I'll shut up now."

Riuni sighed. "...He's misunderstood, that's all." Her jovial tone was replaced by a slightly more somber one. "He works as hard as he can, but when the rest of his life comes knocking... well, there's only so much he can do."

"Any idea when he'll be back?" Yuffie asked casually.

Riuni shook her head, frowning. "It's too important to put a guess to. He will be back, we just don't know _when_ yet."

Silence settled between them.

"...Say, Yuffie."

"Huh?"

Riuni stopped walking and turned to face the Wutain. "You're the Wutain representative, yes?"

"I am, yes. Why, is something wrong?"

Riuni's eyebrow raised once more, causing Yuffie to cringe inwardly. _Right, note to self,_ Yuffie thought, _never assume the worst..._

"I mean, given last night and all, there has to be a reason you're asking, right?" _...Now that I think about it, that makes it a lot worse..._

Riuni smiled. "No, nothing of the sort, although there is a reason I'm asking." She resumed walking. "I heard about Godo's condition a while back. How is he doing now?"

"He's fine, though he's _finally_ recognized his own mortality. Even the eldest, wisest and bravest leader can have health problems."

"Indeed. So there's no chance of you taking his place immediately, then?"

The question staggered Yuffie and made her stop dead in her tracks. "I..."

Riuni paused, then turned to face Yuffie once more. "...The thought scares you," she said after a moment.

Yuffie nodded solemnly. "...I'm not ready to lead Wutai yet. He knows it, I know it... hell, all Wutai itself knows it. Yet, he's nearly died once already, and..." Yuffie closed her eyes. "I don't look forward to the day I'm actually supposed to... to succeed him as ruler of Wutai."

"You're an only child, too, aren't you?"

"Mm. What I'd give for an older brother..." Yuffie smiled weakly. "But, it's just me, so I have to make the best of it. Honestly... I'm not cut out to be ruler. I enjoy adventuring too much. The thrill of it is... well, maybe you understand...?"

"I've not been on an adventure of my own, but I think I know what you're getting at."

"The thing is, I'd rather be out and about, enjoying adventures, instead of staying in Wutai all the time, leading a nation. I mean, with time, I guess I'll learn how to _properly_ lead... I just-"

"Don't want your time now to end," Riuni finished.

"Exactly."

Riuni nodded her understanding. "We all have things we love to do, and things we don't want to do. I do, too."

Yuffie looked into Riuni's emerald eyes. "Like what?"

"Well..." Riuni hesitated. "...Between you and me, I love to sing. But here I am, stuck in some... almost thankless job. I can't stand being a secretary for him, to be blunt... I understand him, true, but that doesn't mean I like working for him..."

Yuffie's eyes widened. "You mean..."

"He treats me well enough, I guess, but when he forces me to take his place in important positions such as _his_... it's overwhelming. I'm not cut out to lead, either, but here he is, forcing me to take a position of leadership while he tends to other matters." She frowned. "...I hate him sometimes."

Yuffie pondered patting Riuni upon the back, and eventually decided to. She regretted it, however, as the action made the injuries from last night sting. "It's for the best, right? So chin up, Riuni; he'll be back doing this job before you know it."

Riuni looked at Yuffie. "...Thanks for hearing me out. I don't often get the chance to talk like this to... well, anyone. I'm always busy with one thing or another."

Yuffie ignored the stinging as best she could, though a faint wince made its way to her face. "Well, if you ever want to talk about anything else, I'm willing to lend an ear."

She smiled. "Thank you. Well... I ought to get going. Paperwork and the like to do." She extended a hand to Yuffie. "We'll talk again sometime."

Yuffie took Riuni's hand and shook it - the action once again sending mild pain throughout her arm. "Mhm. Be well." She fought back wincing once more, and once the handshake ended, she watched Riuni walk away.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris examined the fragment she'd taken earlier. _He hasn't been around to check up on me. Maybe he's too concerned about his plan...?_

She gave the fragment a small squeeze with her hand. _Agh, if only I could just-_

She blinked, wondering what the sudden sensation she was feeling was. _As though I've been... freed from his control..._ she thought. Her grip on the fragment loosened, and she felt the familiar binding sensation on her mind return. Her eyes flicked to the fragment. _...Could it be... the fragment's doing?_

She gave it another squeeze, and felt his control fade once more. _...It is! If I have this fragment, then I can resist... no, negate his control altogether!_ Her heart soared, and she felt like jumping for joy. _This makes my own plan so much easier!_

Heartened by the discovery, she made her way to the spot where Saahan had shattered the sphere earlier. _If the rest of the sphere is still there, then there's a chance I can-_

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as she turned the corner to her best hope and nearly bumped into Saahan. "Oh!" she gasped. "I-I'm so-"

"Give it here." Saahan was glaring at Aeris, hand outstretched. "Now."

"Give... give what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't you play 'dumb' with me, Ancient!" he snarled angrily. "The fragment! What, you think I didn't _realize_? I felt my control over you fade, and it didn't take me long to figure out _why_! Give me that fragment, _now_!"

Aeris allowed herself an arrogant laugh. "And become your puppet once more? Oh, how foolish you are, Saahan. No, I will _not_ give this back to you," she continued, holding up the fragment in question.

He made a lunge for it, missing it completely once Aeris pulled it away from him. "You wretched little-"

Aeris shook her head. "...Revenge is all well and good, Saahan... but you can't force those who want nothing to do with it to help you. They may be temporary allies, but the part of them that is still under their own control will despise you for all eternity. Sometimes, it's easier to-" She avoided his renewed attempt to snatch the fragment from him. "-actually befriend them, instead of forcing them under your control."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You wouldn't _dare_."

She smiled innocently at him. "You'd be surprised what I would and wouldn't dare to do, Saahan. You'd be _very_ surprised."

He lunged at her once more, fingers grazing the fragment. He swore loudly as he failed, once again, to reclaim the fragment. "I will _not_ allow some upstart Ancient to undo my plan!" he seethed. "Give it back, or I'll-"

"You'll what, Saahan? Kill me? Torture me?" Aeris shook her head once more, starting to walk away. "Fine. You may do so... but only after I've done what I plan to do. And even then, with your plan crumbling all around you... could you even retaliate against me?"

He glared at her backside as she walked away from him. _...No matter... this is just a temporary setback... I can deal with this._

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Riuni closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. The papers before her were all finished. _...I never imagined it'd be so easy..._

She let her thoughts drift back to the couple moments when Yuffie had winced, and recalled wondering why.

Then she'd remembered that the intruder of the prior night had broken a window with that _same exact arm_.

Riuni smirked, chuckling darkly to herself. _Yuffie Kisaragi... what would the Wutain representative want to do to - or with - Saahan? And why would she be so stupid as to break into New Shinra...?_

_

* * *

_

_Riuni has put two and two together. What does that mean for Yuffie, exactly?_

_Sorry about the delay in updating. One word: Cataclysm. The new World of Warcraft expansion has held my attention for quite some time, and being the WoW player I am... well, new game content is always exciting and, unfortunately, distracting._

_...That's definitely more than one word, but I don't care._

_I wanted to show some aspect of Riuni that isn't influenced by Saahan, so I thought a friendly conversation with Yuffie was the way to do this. I also wanted to reveal that even the, ah... 'closest' of siblings can argue and/or fight._

_That being said, are Riuni and Saahan really siblings, or do they just treat each other as brother/sister? I'll leave that to you to ponder for now._

_Next chapter, Aeris, fragment in hand, is ready to set her own plan in motion. Saahan's not letting her get away scot-free, however, and is in pursuit. Will Aeris succeed in her plan, or will Saahan stop her - permanently?_

_-Spiritslayer_


	7. Answers

She could feel the eyes on her, and it unnerved her to no end.

Aeris wished for nothing more than to fade from view, to travel via the Lifestream. At least that way, the midnight black orbs of a rather peculiar owl would no longer be focused on her.

_But if I try to use the Lifestream to travel... I lose the fragment_, she thought to herself, glancing at the fragment in question, her grip firm on it.

_The nature of the fragment makes sense, I guess. It came from him, so it only stands to reason that I can use that against him... turning a part of himself against... well, himself._ She glanced back, eyes searching for the owl watching from afar.

She didn't want him to watch her anymore, and yet, she knew that it was best if she knew he _was _watching her at all times.

It made her feel... safer, knowing he wasn't doing anything else.

A thought crossed her mind, causing her to giggle lightly. _I wonder if he'd fly me to Midgar if I asked politely,_ she mused to herself.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

He watched the Ancient who threatened his entire plan with a single fragment, and hated.

He hated her for taking the fragment, and for plotting to use it against him.

He hated Riuni for not being more careful about the intrusion a few nights back, and wondered if she was, indeed, starting to lose it.

But most of all, he hated himself for being so careless.

_I should have dissipated the remains of the first sphere the second it shattered. There are many other things I should've done, and haven't yet. _He clicked his beak irritatedly, spreading his wings wide and lifting himself from the branch upon which he had been perched. _I guess, in the end, I've no one to blame but myself. _He watched Aeris for a moment longer before flying forward, searching for another branch to land upon.

As he alighted upon the new branch, he started to worry. They were nearing the edge of the forests, and he would have no place to hide, to sit and watch from.

At least, not until Midgar, and by then it would be too late.

_Focus, Saahan, focus,_ he ordered himself. _You can stop her, it's just a matter of effort._

His mind drew a blank, however, and he simply watched Aeris continue on her way, growing more and more irritated by the moment. _Ancestors, this is nerve-wracking..._

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"Another day, come and gone," Yuffie sighed wearily. She didn't even bother hiding the yawn that was overtaking her at a rapid speed.

"Miss Kisa-"

"It's _Yuffie_," she interrupted, turning to face the speaker. "You know that."

"But honorifics-" protested the Wutain who had approached her.

"Oh, to hell with those. Besides, you call my old man 'Godo', right? Not 'Master Kisaragi' or 'my lord', yada yada yada..." She shrugged indifferently.

"But-"

She held up a hand to interrupt him once more. "No 'buts'. Call me Yuffie. Got it?"

"I-" He sighed defeatedly. "...Yes, Miss Kisaragi-"

"You don't got it." She sighed. "We'll work on that with time. What's up?"

He grumbled incoherently under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"...Nothing. Ah, right. Riuni wishes to speak with you, at such a time that's opportune for-"

"Oh, you could've just said so from the beginning!" she groaned.

"...I tried. You kept interrupting me."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Details, details... so where is she?" _And why does she want to talk to me? Just for the sake of talking?_

"Well, she said to meet her in her- well, in the director's office, I should say."

Yuffie nodded. _Now to speculate as to the 'why'._ "Thanks. Don't wait up for me; I have no idea how long this will take."

He nodded uncertainly. "Noted."

Silence.

"...What now?" she asked impatiently.

"Erm... by your leave?" he ventured cautiously.

She rolled her eyes. "Dismissed, be on your way, what have you. What kind of tyrant is my father...?" she muttered, moving toward the office.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the forests. _Now, he has nowhere to hide. He wants to follow me, he's forced into the open._ The thought made her start humming to herself.

_Even he's not likely to fly around as an owl when it's still daytime-_

Her thoughts were cut short as she noticed that the sun was setting, marking the gradual end of the day. _...Well, either way, nothing could possibly go wrong, right...? Today will mark the first of a few defeats for Saahan._

She closed her eyes and stretched, letting the sun's final rays all but sink into her. She could feel the sun set as the rays ceased to provide her with the warmth they had beforehand. She listened to the wind as it rustled the leaves around her-

Her eyes snapped open. _Wait a- I left the forests, didn't I...?_ She felt her jaw drop, and felt her grip on the fragment slacken in pure shock.

She was staring at a veritable forest around her. _But- it makes no sense! How did-_

She heard something land upon a branch above her, and instantly gripped the fragment firmly once more. "Very funny, Saahan. This little trick of yours isn't going to stop me, you'll see."

"Dear, dear..." came an unfamiliar voice, one filled with amusement and... mockery? "I've never favored the owl's bulky form."

She looked around uncertainly, watched as the branches of the trees moved.

Moved in ways the wind ought not move them.

_...It's a prison,_ she realized suddenly. _These... these trees are caging me in...?_

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Saahan shapeshifted, grinning. "Timely arrival, brother. Very timely, indeed."

The 'brother' in question turned to Saahan, shrugging indifferently. "You know me. I do things when I want, how I want."

Saahan chuckled. "Indeed. It just happened to be in good fortune for me this time, however." He looked at Aeris. "Would you be so kind as to take that fragment from her, brother?"

"I do believe I've already stated my intentions," the other replied coolly. "I do things when I want, how I want. Perhaps I'll recover the fragment for you... when I get bored."

Saahan stared at his brother. "This... this bitch dares threaten my plan with that fragment, and you would-"

"You'll forgive me, brother, but last I checked, I was, in no shape, way, or form, involved in your little, ah... 'ploy', we'll call it." The other brother dropped into the clearing Aeris was standing in, making her jump in surprise.

Saahan met his brother's amber eyes, angered to see a mocking look in them. "'Ploy'? What I'm doing-"

"Is insane, foolish, and otherwise... my, I seem to have covered all the bases already, haven't I?" He turned away from Saahan and gave Aeris a smile that wasn't quite warm, but wasn't cold, either. "How do you do, m'lady? I am, as you've heard and likely assumed, the arrogant fool's brother-"

"Arrogant?" Saahan spat.

His brother chuckled. "Temper, brother. Let's not forget upon whose branches you are presently seated, lest they be inclined to drop you or, heavens forbid, toss you a mile into the air." A vicious grin appeared on his face, making Aeris uncomfortable. "Now, where were we, m'lady...?"

"Torvio, I swear by all that is... if you keep disrespecting me, I'll-"

His words were cut off as the branch he was seated upon simply snapped. As he tumbled down to the ground, the 'broken' branch seemed to have no problems realigning and repairing itself. "Sometimes, you ought to heed my warnings," the man named Torvio replied calmly. "Now, as the ingrate revealed, I am called Torvio."

Aeris finally managed to get her voice back. "Are you opposed to Saahan?" she said without much other thought.

Torvio chuckled. "Sometimes. Sometimes, I help him. Sometimes, I deliberately get in his way. It keeps my life interesting, as well as his."

"Are you on my side right now?" she asked tentatively.

His friendly air seemed to diminish a little. "Ah, not precisely. I was simply curious as to why my brother was chasing another dress - no pun intended, of course," he said with a wink, indicating Aeris' dress, "when he's already got Riuni-"

She stared in disbelief. "...I thought they were brother and sister?" she asked.

Torvio's friendly air returned. "They are, and yet are not. It is... complicated, yet so very simple." He looked at Saahan, who was glaring daggers at him. "Would you care to explain, brother, or shall I do our lovely guest the favor?"

"Get that fragment from her before you say or do anything else, idiot!" Saahan snarled.

Torvio clicked his tongue. "Now what sort of way is that to ask someone for a favor? How rude of you." He locked eyes with Aeris' own eyes, running a hand through his amber-colored hair. "We are all related in _what_ we are - much as you humans call each other 'brothers and sisters' simply because you are all human. Riuni and Saahan, however, are not directly related. Nor, for that matter, am I related to Saahan, or Riuni - directly, at least."

Aeris nodded slowly, understanding slowly creeping upon her. "It makes more sense now, I suppose-" She stopped. "...Wait, us 'humans'? You mean you aren't...?"

Torvio laughed, the sound seemingly echoed by the rustling of leaves. "Human? No. Neither is Riuni, nor Saahan. We are-"

"Stop right there, Torvio, or I swear upon the ancestors I will rip your throat out!" Saahan threatened furiously.

Torvio shook his head for a moment, smiling. "Temper, brother... never forget." He placed a hand under Aeris' chin, lifting up slightly.

The action made her gasp slightly. _His hand's so... warm. But it's... how can it be so warm when night's falling, and...?_ Her thoughts were cut off as he drew a bit closer to her.

"...Where was I, again? I apologize; I lost myself in your beauty somewhere," Torvio said, still smiling. "...Oh, yes. We are not human, no. We are... something entirely different."

She lost any and all trains of thought she had. Her mind drew a blank, and she was oblivious to anything else. _Those eyes are..._ she finally managed to think.

Just as swiftly and elegantly as he first touched her face, he pulled away from her once more, tossing something in Saahan's direction. "Ingrate. I do too much for you, even if you don't deserve a bit of it."

It took Aeris a few moments to collect her thoughts. She realized her grip on the fragment was slack, and gripped firmly-

Her eyes went wide, something that was followed by Saahan's dark chuckling. "I owe you yet another favor, Torvio."

Her hand had gripped nothing but empty air.

_...He... flustered me, and stole the fragment while he distracted me?_ she thought, bewildered.

Torvio waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, come now. It's moot by this point; we both know you'll never return these favors for me." He paused, a hand raising to his chin. "...Although, if you wanted to start now..."

Saahan raised an eyebrow. "Name it."

Torvio smiled at Aeris, as though he hadn't stolen her one and only hope from her. "I'd like to take this woman with me. You do not seem to have any need for her, and the fact that she's escaped you once already should speak volumes about how inept you've become."

Saahan scoffed. "Anything but _that_, I mean. The Ancient is _my_ prisoner, not-"

"Ancient?" Torvio raised an eyebrow. "My, it's been _ages_ since I last spoke with one of the Cetra... wasn't our last, ah... gathering just weeks before Jenova descended upon this world?"

Aeris' mind was sufficiently blown by everything she'd heard thus far, and it was making her head spin. She swayed on the spot before falling over, inexplicably unconscious.

Saahan watched Torvio catch her as she fell, and rolled his eyes. "No sense arguing now... fine, you can have her, but on one condition. I do _not_ want you interfering with my plan from here on out, understood?"

Torvio shrugged. "I could care less about this petty grudge match between you and the world, brother. I've more interesting things to keep my eye upon." He picked Aeris up gently. "I'll take my leave of you, then." He laughed suddenly. "Haha, take my 'leave' of you..."

Saahan sighed wearily. "Cute..." he grumbled as the trees surrounding them simply dove into the ground, leaving nothing but open space once more.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Vincent stood outside New Shinra's headquarters, eyes staring at the emerald hair visible in one window. "So... it _is_ you, Riuni..." he murmured quietly. "Damn; I'd hoped against hope, but..."

He strode purposefully toward the door, hand slipping to the grip of Cerberus. "Please don't let it be too late," he all but whispered to himself. "Please be alright, Yuffie..."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"Well, then..." Yuffie couldn't shake the ever-growing sense of fear that had been building up within her. She opened the door quickly before she could convince herself not to. "Riuni? You wanted to talk with me?"

Riuni looked up at Yuffie, a smile on her face. "And here you are," she said simply, quietly... knowingly.

Yuffie heard the door close behind her. She was ready to pass it off as coincidence until she heard it lock behind her. _Um... not good for me..._

_

* * *

_

More questions than answers now, I'd imagine. All I'm going to say is that these 'three' scenarios, soon to become two, cannot end in the most ideal of ways.

I'll confess, Torvio was an 'on-the-spot' character. I wanted someone who was similar to Saahan and Riuni, and yet... not similar; that is, his personality is far more... eccentric? He's an odd one, to say the least, and I'll admit I like the way he's turning out in my mind. So who's side is he on, if any side? Nah, secret.

So, despite everything he's insisted he doesn't know about either the new director or the secretary, Vincent knows Riuni's name. But how, and why does he seem to know Yuffie's in danger?

Fortunately, I know the answers to all of these questions. Unfortunately, I won't say just yet.

Next chapter, Aeris is unsure what to make of her new 'host'. Nonetheless, she appeals to his laid-back nature and finally starts to get some answers to the questions Saahan and Riuni refused to answer. Meanwhile, in New Shinra, Yuffie finds herself in a bind - one she isn't sure she can actually escape this time. And if she can't escape, will Vincent, who is en route to the office, be able to help her in time? -Spiritslayer


	8. Plans and Schemes

"...Unh..." Aeris stirred, shaking her head lightly. She sat up slowly, hand at her forehead. "What... happened to...?"

"You're awake," came a familiar voice. "Good. I was starting to worry about you."

She frowned a little as she tried to recall the name. "...Torvio, isn't it...? Where... what happened?"

"I knocked you out with a few spores. I hope you didn't mind; it was the only way to keep you from going mad all at once." Vines parted to show Torvio standing in the 'doorway', smiling softly. "How do you feel?"

"...Like I was just knocked out with a few spores," she said casually.

He chuckled. "Full of wit. I like that." He stepped inside, the vines returning to their 'closed' position. "I hope the accomodations are to your liking."

She looked around and felt her jaw drop. "It's... it's all... green. Is this... a tree?"

He nodded, sighing contently. "I call this tree my home. As you can see, the branches are large enough to serve as legitimate flooring. A few tweaks of my own to make walls, vines for doors..." He let his voice trail.

She stared at him in awe. "Is that your... specialty? Saahan transforms into an owl, Riuni into a serpent... do you transform into-"

He laughed at this, cutting her off. "Oh, dear no! I don't transform, my friend; I, ah... 'make do'."

"You _can't_ transform, then?" Aeris ventured.

Torvio waved a hand dismissively, his right eye seeming to twinkle with merriment. "Oh, I can, but, well... between the grandeur of this and some little cactaur, which do you think _I'd_ prefer?"

She giggled. "A cactaur? Oh, I'd like to see-"

He shook his head, chuckling. "No, that's one request I shall decline. It has its uses, but conversation is not one of them." He cleared his throat. "Now, I primarily came to check up on you, and if you were awake, I was going to answer some questions for you, if you have them - and I'm sure you do."

"Many, yes." She started a little as he extended a hand toward her, then smiled at him and took his hand. He pulled her to her feet, nodding. "Thank you, first of all, for... sparing me from Saahan."

"Ah, worry not about that. He had no real use for you, other than keeping you 'out of the way'. I, on the other hand, am a conversationalist."

"Is that even a word?" she asked, curious.

"Last I checked, it was. Then again, I last checked a few centuries ago, so does that even count...? I wonder..." He shrugged it off. "Alright, time to answer your questions."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie took a step backward. "Um... hi."

"You wasted no time coming," Riuni said softly, smile on her face. "I'm not complaining, of course. I had a couple questions to ask you."

Yuffie took another step backward, hand slowly reaching out for the door. "Such as...?"

"The night of the break-in, a few nights ago... where were you?"

_Just play it cool... I got this... yeah, right._ "In Edge, with my friends."

"Where were you staying, then?"

Another step backward. "Um... Tifa's Seventh Heaven."

Riuni chuckled darkly. "Why the pause? Had to think about it?"

"Well, to be honest... I'm a bit nervous right now." _Shit. Way to go, Yuff; way to be subtle and 'cool'..._

"And why would you be so nervous, hm?" Riuni folded her hands upon the desk.

"Well... uh..." Yuffie stepped backward once more.

"I mean, it's not as though you were the one who broke into New Shinra a few nights ago, correct?" Riuni asked with the same cheery air.

"Of course not! What would give you that silly idea-" As she took another step back, she tripped over something - something that rose up and pressed itself against her back to keep her from falling backward.

"Oh, just a few idle observations, that's all. For starters, none of the guards said they've been in contact with you about the events of a few nights prior."

"Oh, come on. You know they were just playing around, right?"

Riuni shook her head, her emerald hair swaying with the motion. "Well, they had me fooled, then. But even then, there was another observation of... great importance."

Yuffie tried stepping back again, but found herself unable to; the thing she had tripped over was still pressing against her back. "Like... like what?"

"Your arm, for instance. I couldn't help but notice it hurt for you to do a couple things. The peculiar thing about it, though..." Riuni pushed herself up from the desk. "...It's the same arm our trespasser injured by breaking a window and making her escape that way."

Yuffie's eyes flicked to Riuni's legs briefly - to find they weren't legs, but rather a large tail.

And in that instant, she knew what was pressed against her back - and now coiling around her slowly.

"Now then, my friend... where were we?" Riuni said with the same cheery air.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Torvio quirked an eyebrow. "What is Saahan's plan?"

Aeris nodded. "I can guess, but I don't know for certain..."

He held up a hand to stop her. "No, I ask because... well, he always has more than one _plan._ If you are asking about his 'grand scheme for the planet', however..."

Aeris chuckled despite herself. "Mm, I am."

"Very well." Torvio allowed himself to crack his neck. "Well, in a word... revenge. One word, however, doesn't explain things nicely, as fate would have it. His grand scheme, as I said earlier, is foolish. Revenge is well and good, but attempting to destroy an entire planet?"

Aeris shook her head in disbelief. "Amazing... you and I think roughly the same way..."

He smiled. "Saahan's grand scheme is, in theory, very easy, but in practice, nigh impossible to accomplish - unless, of course, you are Saahan or Riuni. And, last I checked, neither of them held your beauty."

Aeris' cheeks turned pink at the blatant compliment. "Thanks," she offered meekly. "So, if it's so impossible... what is it?"

Well... you are familiar with Mako reactors, I take it." When she nodded, he continued. "They suck the Lifestream out of the planet to create energy. Because it's said that the planet is dying when these reactors function, it stands to reason that Mako is not a renewable energy source, at least not initially."

"Right. Condensed Lifestream is Mako, and once it's condensed, it can't... return to the planet, as it were."

"Precisely. Well, this is where it gets 'impossible'. Riuni has the ability - at least, the greatest ease, between the two of them - to remove something from a location and 'miniaturize' it."

Aeris' mind instantly shot to when Saahan and Riuni first captured her. "I-I've seen that! When they first captured me, they took the entire Forgotten City and-"

"Yes, that's about where I'd expect Riuni to be in skill," he cut in, nodding. "He wants her to be more precise, however. Specifically, he wants her to remove the 'condensed' status of Mako to make it Lifestream again. Nigh impossible, yes."

"But... that would make it renewable, wouldn't it...?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes... and no. Once Mako is formed, it ceases to be Lifestream in the truest sense of the term. It's a similar concept to necromancy: if something that was once dead is risen, it is not truly life, but rather a cruel mockery of life."

"But... what does this have to do with his grand scheme?"

Torvio gestured to the leafy bed a few feet behind Aeris. "You may want to sit down for this, if not lie down outright; what I'm about to tell you is... staggering, to put it lightly."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie cried out in pain as Riuni's tail squeezed her tightly.

All traces of good humor from earlier had vanished entirely; Riuni was quite clearly furious now. "You thought you could just break into his office, find whatever information you wanted, and waltz on out without getting caught?" she snapped. "I won't even ask what it was you were looking for; I'm just _appalled_ that you'd try something so ridiculous!"

Yuffie gritted her teeth, biting down more pained cries. She struggled to free her left arm from Riuni's coils, pushing down on the topmost coil with her right arm - the same arm that had broken the window a few nights past. "No... no leader worth his _title_ should _ever_ just up and abandon his position for no good-" She was cut off as Riuni squeezed the air out of her lungs.

Riuni glared at Yuffie as the Wutain desperately gasped for air. "Oh, he had a good reason for leaving, and he has a good reason to stay. When he returns, everything will be set on his end; it'll just be up to me from there."

Yuffie continued to push down, unable to suppress pained whimpers. "Wh-what do you mean, 'everything will be set'?" she asked carefully.

Riuni regarded Yuffie for a moment. "...I liked you, Yuffie. I thought you were a great person, and I thought we could actually become the best of friends. I can't even begin to tell you how much it _hurts_ to know that you're the trespasser. Still... I guess, for the sake of former friendship, I don't mind telling you a little bit..." She crossed her arms. "What we're doing surpasses petty businesses such as New Shinra. In fact, once we've finished, there won't even be a New Shinra."

Yuffie was listening while she kept trying to free herself. "Meaning...?"

Riuni smirked, loosening her coils just long enough for Yuffie to slip her right arm down quickly and unexpectedly. She gripped Yuffie tightly once more. "I hate it when people think they can just touch my tail like that and get away with it. Now, where was...? Oh, right. There will no longer be a New Shinra once we've finished, as I said. What that _means_ doesn't matter to you." She chuckled darkly. "There's not much a dead person can do. I feel bad for Godo, knowing his only child stuck her nose too far into another's business, but it's all for the best in the end."

Yuffie closed her eyes as Riuni started to crush her. _...This is it? I'm really just... this is all I am...?_

Yuffie heard Riuni start laughing madly before slipping out of consciousness.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris' eyes were wide; she was immediately grateful she had opted to lie down. "That's... madness..."

"Yet it's his plan," Torvio added. "By 'perverting' Mako into faux-Lifestream, he intends to send said faux-Lifestream back _to_ the Lifestream."

"And being unnatural... corrupt... it'll start to attack the Lifestream..." Aeris whispered. "Start to... destroy it... kill it..."

"Very much so. He's had this grand scheme of his for... ancestors, I don't know how long. All I can say for certain is that Riuni holds the key to his success."

"And she's opposed to it..." she whispered softly.

"She is indeed - at heart, anyway. He approached her on friendly terms, beseeching her for help. She declined. He got furious - as you've seen before - and caught her off-guard, placing her under his control. She resisted for a while, but over time, he broke her 'will', and established complete control over her."

"But... recently, she spoke to him with an air of contempt..."

"Mm; the more distance one has from him, the easier it is to exercise their freedoms for a while. With Riuni, however, she has been under his control for years now; maybe decades or centuries, I don't know for sure. No matter how far away she is from him, and vice versa, she will remain under his control."

Aeris shook her head slowly. "This is... so much to take all at once..." she murmured.

"Let me know when to continue."

A few moments passed in silence. "...Torvio?"

"Hm?"

She glanced at him. "...Have you tried to stop him?"

"A couple times, out of boredom. I've also helped him a couple times, out of boredom."

"But why? I mean, if you know he's going to destroy-"

"It's who I am. I do what I want, when I want, how I want." Torvio gave a small smile. "You must understand; living for as long as I have makes one immune to such trivialities as 'mass murder' and 'destruction'. To take decisive action is to _care_ one way or another, and frankly... I don't care. He can succeed, he can fail."

Aeris shook her head in disbelief. "I..."

"I won't ask you to understand me," he offered simply.

"...Will you help me stop him? Please?" she asked, meeting his eyes.

His small smile faltered a little. "No. His foolish scheme will collapse upon itself in time-"

"And what if it doesn't?" she protested. "What if he _does_ succeed? We'll _all_ die!"

He shrugged. "Death is a natural part of the cycle of life. Why would his grand scheme succeeding bother you so much, exactly?"

She felt as though she was just struck. "...You really _did_ take me from Saahan... just to talk..." she murmured. "...I'd hoped you were going to help me stop him, but..."

He smiled softly.

She was beginning to hate Torvio's smile.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Without any manner of warning, Vincent shot the door's lock off and kicked the door in. "Riuni!" he shouted, stepping inside.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "V-Vincent? What are you doing-"

His eyes landed on Yuffie's limp form laying on the floor, and he shot Riuni a glare. "If I find out you killed her, then so help me, Riuni..." He aimed Cerberus at Riuni's head.

She froze up. "...Take her with you if you must. I..." She sighed. "...Yuffie _should_ still be alive."

He narrowed his eyes at her, then moved toward Yuffie. He gave Riuni a hard look before lowering his guard so as to pick up Yuffie. He slung Yuffie over his shoulder carefully, then pointed Cerberus at Riuni once more.

"Come on, Vincent, I'm not going to attack you... we both know this for a fact," she groaned. "I don't like staring down-"

He pulled the trigger, causing three rounds to fly past her head and shatter the window behind her. "Then close your eyes, and you _won't_ be staring down the barrel of Cerberus," he snapped. He strode swiftly toward the window. He prepared to jump out.

"Vincent?" Riuni turned to face his back.

"What?" he growled.

"I..." She hesitated. "...Never mind. Just... just go."

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Tell Saahan I will _not_ tolerate whatever it is he's up to. If he tries anything stupid, I _will_ kill him without a second thought."

She cringed, but nodded. "Right..."

He leapt out the window, landing carefully on the ground after a few seconds' fall. His hand slipped to Yuffie's wrist to check for a pulse.

_...Left at Riuni's mercy, I'm amazed Yuffie even _has_ a pulse..._ he thought, letting a brief sigh of relief escape him. _Grateful, as well..._ He set out for Edge once more, eager to get Yuffie away from New Shinra and Riuni.

* * *

_Pieces are slowly starting to fall into place, and yet there are still questions left unanswered. Although Aeris knows Saahan's 'grand scheme', as Torvio calls it, she still doesn't know _why_ he's attempting it. Nor does she know who or what Saahan is._

_I'm keeping it short tonight, so..._

_Next chapter, Yuffie has no trouble whatsoever getting Vincent to talk this time. But as he talks, she starts to wonder if she really wanted to know in the first place... if she'd wanted a history lesson, she'd have stayed in Wutai and studied, after all. -Spiritslayer_


	9. The Past

"...up! Yuffie, please!"

It took the slowly-waking Yuffie a moment to recognize the voice all but pleading with her to... do something.

"Yuffie, wake up!"

_That's... Tifa's voice._ Yuffie let out a small groan and opened her eyes. She shielded her eyes from the light that immediately blinded her. "...Ugh..."

She heard Tifa's sigh of relief, and instantly felt arms wrap around her in a hurried hug. "You're alright!"

Yuffie frowned a little. "Wait... what are you doin' in New Shinra...?" she mumbled, meeting her friend's eyes.

Tifa gave her a confused look. "New Shin- Yuffie, you're in Edge. My bar? The spare room?"

Yuffie looked around slowly, eyes adjusting to the lighting of the room. "...Oh."

Tifa let go of Yuffie, straightening up. "I don't... I don't want to know what happened to you, do I?"

"Um..." Yuffie sighed. "...You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, Teef. Trust me."

Tifa regarded Yuffie intently before shaking her head. "You've been out for four days, Yuffie. It must-"

"She was poisoned," said a voice that made both of them jump. They both heard the door close, and realized they hadn't heard it open in the first place.

Vincent was standing just inside the room, arms crossed, eyes on Yuffie.

"Poisoned? But... she didn't have symp-" Tifa protested.

He shook his head. "Believe me, Tifa; Yuffie was poisoned."

Yuffie's mind spun. _Is he lying to Tifa, or...? It doesn't feel like I was poisoned... doesn't that leave some kind of...?_ Her thoughts spun out of control.

Tifa looked at Vincent, then Yuffie, and back again. She finally threw her hands up into the air. "Whatever... you two are obviously up to something and don't want me - or anyone else - to know about it," she muttered. "I need to get downstairs now." She approached the door, then paused. "...Yuffie?"

"Yeah?" Yuffie dropped her arm from her eyes.

"I'm... we're all glad you're alright."

She nodded.

"I wish you'd tell me what really happened to you..." Tifa continued.

"Um..." Her eyes flicked to Vincent, who simply met her eyes. "...I was poisoned."

"...I see." Tifa brushed past Vincent without a word or second glance, opened the door, and left swiftly.

The moment the door closed and they heard Tifa's footsteps reach the bottom of the stairs, Yuffie sighed. "Was I poisoned?"

To her surprise, Vincent nodded. "Riuni's... efficient like that. Her poison doesn't slowly kill, but rather incapacitates completely. It makes killing a target easier."

"Oh." Yuffie frowned. "But... she could have just-"

"Perhaps she didn't truly want you to die," Vincent interrupted. "Her mind's... she's not the same Riuni I remember. Sparing you... that's something the real Riuni would've done."

Yuffie nodded slowly, closing her eyes. "I-" Her eyes flew open, and she glared at Vincent. "You _do_ know her."

He nodded silently.

"And the new director, too?"

Another nod.

"I knew it." Yuffie sat up, groaning. "Ow... it feels like I just got... slugged in the gut..."

He nodded yet again. "That's a side effect of the antidote. Give it five minutes; you'll feel better with time."

"What kind of antidote causes that much pain...?" she grumbled, flopping down on the bed again.

"The antidote to Riuni's poison," he offered with a hint of a grin.

She sighed. "...Alright, buster. You no longer have a say in the matter. _Tell. Me. Who. They. Are_," she growled at him.

He stepped to a chair next to her bed and sat down slowly. "You've become too involved to keep in the dark," he agreed. "Alright. Ask away."

"You already have the first question," she hissed. "Who are they?"

He inclined his head slightly. "The new director is a man named Saahan. You already know Riuni, if her familiarity with your name was any indicator." He looked at his hands for a moment. "In the past, before I joined Shinra, they were my friends."

"Friendly crowd," she said sarcastically.

He chuckled. "Well, to be more accurate, Riuni was my friend back then. Saahan was an acquaintance, and a friend of Riuni's. He and I... we didn't get along. We were... rivals, so to speak."

"Rivals over...?" Yuffie inquired, curious.

"Many things. Riuni's attention, foremost." He waved a hand dismissively. "Not the point; with time, our rivalry devolved into formal enemies. Riuni was the trigger."

"How was she-"

"She became what she is now." Vinccent closed his eyes. "...She became Arveborne."

Yuffie raised an eyebrow, utterly confused. "A what?"

"No, I didn't think you knew..." he murmured. "No one really does nowadays. Even back then, it was... rare to find someone who knew about them." He opened his eyes and met Yuffie's own. "Arveborne. Someone who's gained the power of an Arva."

She stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You don't know about Arva either." He shook his head. "This is going to be a history lesson, then..."

"Great..." she groaned.

"Arva," he began, ignoring her complaint, "existed alongside the Cetra millenia ago, or so the legends go. No," he paused. "They didn't exist _alongside_, for that suggests cooperation. The Cetra and the Arva were said to fight with each other."

"Why? Did something...?"

"The Arva were - _are_ - a race with immense power. The Cetra never understood why the Arva possessed such power, and in time, they grew to fear the Arva's power. Their power," he added, noting her building question, "was nothing short of miraculous. They were said to be shapeshifters, among other things. They held... dominion over a certain aspect of life - or death, in rare cases. They had no problems wielding their power, but the Cetra... they had a problem with that themselves. So, the Cetra started to fight the Arva, hoping to instill some fear in them, to teach them to stop using their power so recklessly.

"The Arva, however, never 'learned' this lesson. They fought back, seeking to preserve themselves from the ruthless onslaught of the Cetra. This fighting continued for a long time."

"You make it sound like the fighting stopped."

He nodded. "It did. Jenova."

Yuffie shivered at the name.

"When Jenova came, the Arva and Cetra still continued to fight one another. However, it was eventually realized that Jenova didn't discriminate between Arva and Cetra, so the two enemies banded together to fight Jenova, to force her off their planet. However..." He folded his hands together. "The Arva... jumped the gun, as it were. They attacked Jenova full force, ahead of their Cetra allies. Their battle with Jenova raged for days-"

"Wait, I thought the Cetra sealed Jenova away? So how could the Arva have...?" Yuffie began. Her eyes widened slowly. "No..."

He sighed, nodding slowly. "The Cetra _did_ seal Jenova away - but only after Jenova proved to be too much for the Arva to handle on their own. Countless Arva died that day, and brought their numbers to single digits. And they've remained in single digits since then."

Her jaw dropped.

"The Cetra banded together with the remainder of the Arva and, while the Arva held Jenova's attention, the Cetra sealed her away. With the threat sealed away, the Arva maintained their ceasefire with the Cetra, and vowed to never attack the Cetra again. The Cetra unexpectedly honored the memory of the Arva who perished before Jenova's onslaught." He took a breath. "Those who know the legend of the Arva also know a theory, one as yet unproven - and it's doubtful it'll ever _be_ proven. The theory is that summon materia, as knowledge of the Cetra, are actually the memories of fallen Arva, preserved in their true forms."

"So, in effect... the summoned entity is a...?"

"An Arva of the past, yes. One of those who died to Jenova. It's a theory, of course, as I said."

Silence settled between them.

"...How-"

"Saahan told Riuni and I all of this one day," he said, predicting her question. "Riuni asked him how he knew all of this." He looked at Yuffie. "Want to take a guess as to how he knew?"

Yuffie sighed. "Not really..."

He chuckled. "I didn't think so. Well... the day he told Riuni and I about this, my hatred for him set itself in stone. Perhaps... it's because his truth ultimately won over Riuni, but..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Just tell me."

"Saahan was - _is_, pardon - one of the surviving Arva, from the era of Jenova's arrival."

Yuffie's mind froze, her breath caught. Her eyes bulged in surprise.

"Yes, that was more or less Riuni's reaction," he mused bitterly. "And then, she started to follow him wherever he went. It was..." He let his voice trail. "It's unimportant. When... when next I saw Riuni, she..." He bit his lip. "...She was a younger version of who she is now. Arveborne. She tried convincing me to become Arveborne as well." He closed his eyes. "I told her I would never become a monster. I told her I was going to live my life as a human, not some... demon-possessed fiend." He chuckled bitterly. "Ironic, considering my current situation..."

Yuffie finally found her voice. "I... you're not a fiend, Vince."

He looked at her. "Hardly the point. The point is that I severed all contact with Riuni from there on out. I didn't know if she was alive, dead... I didn't know, and didn't _care_, about Saahan - not after what he did to..." His voice trailed. "...I joined Shinra shortly thereafter, hoping the training there would make me forget. It did, at least until just recently."

Yuffie's mind spun. "...Okay, so we have the 'who' out of the way..." she murmured. "Why... why is Saahan-"

"A director in New Shinra? Your guess is as good as mine. I never gave a damn about his plans for the future and the like, so I'm just as 'in the dark' as you. But..." He stood slowly and began pacing. "He's reinstated the Mako program, insisting he's discovered renewable Mako. All logic suggests that there is no such thing as renewable Mako."

She nodded, grateful for the change of topic. She sat up, satisfied to find the pain of earlier was finally gone. "So the question is 'why' now. Why has he reinstated the Mako program if renewable Mako is logically impossible?"

Vincent continued to pace.

"Vince."

No response.

"Vince?"

Again, no response.

_If he's ignoring me, I swear by Leviathan..._ "Vincent Valentine!" she snapped.

He started, turning to face her. "Is... something wrong?"

"I could ask _you_ that question. You're suddenly... quiet." She gestured to the chair. "Besides, I hate it when people pace. The repetitive sound of footsteps just... it gets maddening after a while."

He looked at the chair, then gave a small 'hn'. He moved back to the chair and sat down. "I was just... wondering about all the 'what ifs'. What if I'd insisted - _begged_, even - that Riuni not follow Saahan? Would she have been furious? Sad? Or...?"

"You loved her." Yuffie watched him for a while.

He simply nodded. "A small part - a _very_ small part - of me still does, I think... beneath that emerald hair, the... the 'monstrous' power she's obtained... part of her is still the Riuni I remember. At least, I tell myself that, probably because..."

"You want to believe it."

"Mm."

Yuffie sighed wearily. "All of this is... it's a fair bit to take all at once."

"I'll leave you be, then. Let this all sink in." He started to stand up.

"Wait." Yuffie stared at him intently for a few moments. "I'm... if you told me all of this, and expect me to keep out of it-"

"Of course not. As I said, you're too involved in it now to be kept in the dark. From here on out... no more secrets about this. If you ever need to know anything about Saahan, or Riuni... the Arva, Arveborne... just ask."

Yuffie kept staring at him, as though expecting there to be a catch. When he didn't continue, she prompted with, "But...?"

To her immense surprise, he chuckled. "No strings attached, Yuffie. Not anymore. I told you about this because you deserve to know. Besides..." He met her eyes. "I have a score to settle with Saahan. I can live with him taking Riuni from me all those years ago. I'll be _damned_ if I let him take anyone or anything else away from me - such as my home, or my friends. Mako drains the planet, killing it. He's effectively killing... well, all of us. I won't let him go any further than he already has."

"I see..." She closed her eyes. "A score, huh...?"

"And I know I can't stop him alone. That's why I told you."

Her eyes flew open. "...Wait a- you... you want me to help?"

He looked away. "I'd rather it weren't you, to be honest, but like I said, you've become too involved to-"

Without much more thought, Yuffie hugged him. "Thanks," she murmured.

He raised an eyebrow. "For...?"

"For saving me, for... telling me, for letting me help..." She let go of him slowly. "For everything, basically."

"Hn." He walked toward the door and opened it. "Rest up, Yuffie. We're leaving early tomorrow morning."

"Um... why?"

He gave her a firm glare. "The longer we stall in Edge, the longer Saahan's little game goes unchecked. If we're going to stop him, we're going to become more... aggressive."

"W-wait!" she protested as he stepped out of the room. He gave her an almost irritated look, one that seemed to tell her 'don't make me regret this decision.' "Where are we going?"

His expression softened a little. "New Shinra."

The door closed, and Yuffie just listened to Vincent's footsteps as they descended the staircase.

* * *

_So Vincent finally talks about what he knows._

_We all know the 'after' of his time in Shinra, but we don't really know a thing about the 'before'. So, I figured I'd work his knowing Riuni and Saahan into his time before Shinra and the Turks._

_Summon materia. We know all materia is the knowledge of the Ancients, so... how do our pretty red orbs in FFVII tie into that? I figured it'd be fun to toss out one wild (exceptionally so, considering the context it's presented in) theory. For that matter, it makes one wonder how in the world HP Plus materia is 'knowledge'..._

_Two days to Christmas. And another nine days left to 2010 (as I type this Author's Note, it is 2:30 AM where I live, so the 'nine' is appropriate for me). I have no idea what I resolve to do for the upcoming year. Last year, I resolved to make a REAL New Year's resolution for 2011. I at least HOPE to make good on that one, but... well, we'll see what happens. For now, I have this story to write. Resolutions can wait another... what, twenty years or- oh wait, too much time? That's the procrastinator in me..._

_I don't know what my problem with the Shaman class in World of Warcraft has been, but I'm having a blast with it now. Maybe it was my lack of... understanding as to the roles of a Shaman. There's the Elemental talent tree (spellcaster damage), Enhancement (melee damage), and Restoration (healing). For the longest time, the Restoration talent tree was the only one I understood the role of very clearly; Elemental and Enhancement Shaman, however... I had no idea what the difference was. But, somewhere after the Cataclysm expansion launched, it clicked, and I figured I'd give the Shaman class another try. Enhancement Shaman is loads of fun for me._

_I'm getting ready to hop back onto said Shaman in a few, so without further ado..._

_Next chapter, for the second time, Aeris finds herself desiring to escape. Although Torvio has been very hospitable, he refuses to let her leave. She begins an investigation of her host - and learns something about him that sickens her. So why is Aeris so set in her belief that she can use her discovery AGAINST him? -Spiritslayer_


	10. Thoughts For Food

Aeris couldn't find the exit from Torvio's home.

In fact, she wasn't even _sure_ his tree had an exit. If it did, he kept it well hidden by walls upon walls of vines.

She had brought up the topic casually once before - only to be dismissed with a laugh. "Oh, come now!" he had chuckled. "My company's not _that_ horrific, is it? We still have much to discuss, after all..."

_It's not that I hate his company_, she thought to herself as she began prodding a section of viny wall. _It's just... as long as I'm 'captive' here... I can't stop Saahan._

She jumped in surprise as the section of wall she had prodded parted before her very eyes. Excited, she stepped through swiftly, only half expecting to find an exit of some sort.

She wasn't expecting to find Torvio himself behind the section of wall, a good distance away from her. She stopped dead in her tracks, eager to keep his attention off her. She started to move away, to search for another exit, but stopped when she saw him reach up into the leafy ceiling.

_What's he... doing? Tending the tree?_ she thought to herself, hiding behind a large branch. _If so, why just this one area? Seems time consuming to tend the tree one tiny section at a time..._

She recalled his prior activities, and how he was always involved with the tree one way or another - when he wasn't talking to her, of course. Trimming a branch here and there, fixing a section of ceiling, patching up a ruined piece of the bark floor... it was as though the tree was his entire life.

And despite all of his attention to the tree, he always managed to find Aeris when she didn't _want_ to be found.

Her thoughts came back to Gaia abruptly as she watched his hand descend, pulling down... something from the ceiling. She squinted, trying to determine what it was.

She jumped when she heard his voice. "Hm... seems to be in good order..." She closed her eyes and attempted to steady her breathing, then opened her eyes and resumed watching him.

He let the thing return to the ceiling, then let out a small sigh. "Well, it's about time..." He walked to another section of the 'room', reaching up once more. He pulled something else down, and seemed to... pluck it. "I wonder if she'd eat... no, I doubt she would." He shrugged, the plucked item hidden from view.

She cursed her visual angle and tried to move so as to get a better view of... whatever it was he was holding.

She stopped cold, however, when she heard a sickening crunching noise. Her face paled as the crunching noise continued for a while before vanishing altogether. _What was...?_ She shivered, not wanting to know... and yet, at the same time, she _needed_ to know.

She stepped forward slowly, watching him intently. He was sighing contently, reaching up for another... thing. "Oh, why not? One more will be fine, I suppose." He plucked it gently - and fumbled it.

What Aeris saw fall from his hand made her stop cold once more. Her mind blanked as the item - a sphere - rolled away from him. She couldn't force herself to move as it rolled in her direction. The sphere tapped against her foot, jolting her back to reality.

Torvio was standing before her, arms crossed, a savage smirk on his face. "Well now... I didn't expect you to find this, ah... 'room' at all." He approached her, knelt down, picked up the sphere, and straightened up. "Well... you must realize what this is, yes?"

Aeris' voice squeaked, but refused to form words. _No... it's... that's abominable... it's inhuman..._

He chuckled darkly, lifting the sphere to his lips. "The shock of this must be overwhelming. I wouldn't know; this has been natural to me for... as long as I can remember. Not that it was _right_ back then; I had to eat these in secret - as I continue to do now."

Her voice finally worked again. "This... tree, it's not...?"

He smirked. "Oh, it's a tree, yes. But, ah... I've modified a few sections to accomodate my... dietary preferences." He pointed to the space above Aeris' head, causing the Ancient to look up.

What she saw made her jaw drop.

Countless other spheres, all various colors, glittered above her.

"...You're... insane, Torvio..." she whispered, unable to tear her eyes from the scene above her. "...What kind of... what kind of _lifeform_... how can you even-"

He laughed, the sound mocking. "It's quite simple, really. All I do, is..." He demonstrated by taking a fierce bite out of it, as one would with an apple. The sickening crunch made Aeris freeze once again. "Mm... it's an acquired taste, to be sure... but once you get used to it, yes. Materia _does_ make for healthy fare."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie stared up at the window that belonged to Saahan's office. "Hey, Vince. You think... Riuni's up there now?"

He glanced at Yuffie. "Most likely. I can't imagine where else she'd be. Why?"

"I just... I don't know..." Yuffie sighed, shaking her head. "...I don't want to face her anymore. She knows that I'm the one who..." Her voice trailed.

"In public, she won't make a scene - if, of course, she's retained that part of her," Vincent said, a slightly hopeful tone evident in his voice. "If she sees us during business hours, she won't be able to strike us without risking trouble with security."

"Hope you're right..." Yuffie murmured. "I really hope you're right, Vince..."

He largely ignored the comment. "Let's go."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris staggered backward as Torvio stepped toward her. "N-no. Stay back, you... you monster. What sort of... _fiend_ eats materia?"

Torvio grinned wickedly. "My kind, although we're a rarity. I'd bet I'm the only one left who actually continues to eat materia. And it's not just materia, either." He reached up and plucked another materia from the ceiling. "Where does materia come from, all things said and done?"

Shivers went up and down Aeris' spine. "...The Lifestream," she whispered.

"I'm what many in the ancient past called... a 'devourer'. One who devours the Lifestream for sustenance. Materia is the favored form, as it's solid and much easier to eat than, say, the fluid nature of the Lifestream itself." He tossed the materia back and forth between his hands, eyes affixed on Aeris. "Sometimes, however, the Lifestream yields something... worthwhile. Once in a long while, the Lifestream will, ah... 'relinquish' one of the departed from its 'confines', allowing them to wander the planet once more." He smirked. "Someone such as yourself, for example."

She backed away, eyes widening. "You c-couldn't possibly mean to-"

He flicked his wrist, sending the materia back into the ceiling. "I've kept this a secret for millenia," he murmured sinisterly. "Those who've found out... have died. 'Disappeared mysteriously', so to speak." His tongue flicked to a spot between two teeth and worked what appeared to be a chunk of materia from between. "It's regrettable that you, too, must suffer the same fate as them. I like you, Aeris; we were just starting to get along, too." He chewed the small chunk momentarily. "Well, I'm not one to look at a present from the Lifestream in askance. If it willingly provides... well, who am I to refuse it?" He grinned viciously, beginning to close the distance swiftly.

Aeris attempted to flee, but felt vines seize her wrists, keeping her in one spot. She stared, horrified, as Torvio came within a few feet of her. "Wait!" she pleaded desperately.

To her surprise, he stopped. He tilted his head curiously, then chuckled. "Of course; last words. Well, speak."

_I... my very existence is in jeopardy,_ she thought frantically. _I need to choose my words carefully..._

He crossed his arms, frowning. "Well?"

She took a deep, steadying breath. _I hate to do this, but I don't have much other choice..._ "How stupid are you?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Watch yourself, Ancient. Your life-"

"No, I mean... as much as I despise the idea of... of eating the Lifestream..." She shuddered as she spoke. "...You need to think about the bigger picture, Torvio."

He regarded her warily. "Go on..."

"Just... just moments earlier, you stated that materia comes from the Lifestream. You'll recall that we just so happen to have a... problem concerning the Lifestream." _Please work..._

"We do, do we...? And this problem is-" He let a sly grin cross his expression. "Ah. Saahan."

Aeris nodded. "He's intent on unleashing his faux-Lifestream upon the planet's lifeblood, letting his abomination attack the real thing."

"His little game of revenge won't succeed-"

She shook her head, cutting off his words. "This goes beyond success or failure, Torvio. Even if he fails to destroy the planet, he's still attacking the Lifestream. The more he attacks it, the less Lifestream there will be. The planet will slowly start to die, life will start to dwindle..." She glanced up at the ceiling. "Mako fountains such as the one you've integrated into your tree will run dry. In your case, you'll lose... sustenance."

He nodded slowly. "This is... true. I'll confess, I've never thought about it until now, but you are correct." He chuckled. "This won't make me help you defeat-"

"Torvio, enough with the 'no sides'!" Aeris said sharply. "What Saahan's doing directly impacts you negatively! You can't possibly mean to sit idly by while he devastates the planet and your... your 'food'! At some point or another, you need to make a stand!"

"Then I'll make a plan on my own time. Simple as that."

"I already _have_ a plan!" she responded. "Unless you've got something already..."

She took the prolonged silence as a 'no'.

"I have a plan, Torvio," she repeated. "I've had to change it to suit the... present situation, but it's still a plan we can work with. You don't have the time to sit around and make up a plan; I've seen enough of Saahan to know he's impatient. Once he's ready to begin decimating the Lifestream, he'll do so in large chunks. By the time he begins, it'll be too late to start strategizing."

He nodded slowly. "Fair enough... what is this plan of yours?"

She shook her head. "I refuse to tell you unless you agree to help me stop Saahan. I don't want to tell you my plan, then allow you to go to Saahan and tell him everything. I won't have it."

He hesitated for a moment. "You've piqued my interest," he said after a while. "Let's assume, then, that I agree to this little... 'arrangement'. How do you know my loyalty will be guaranteed?"

She sighed, smiling softly. "I know you, Torvio. You wouldn't betray me if you swore loyalty. You're that kind of person - er, fiend... oh, forget it. The point is that, once you swore loyalty to me, you'd be completely loyal. I know this for a fact."

He ignored the minor insult. "This sounds all well and good... but you're forgetting one thing." He reached out slowly, resting his index finger underneath Aeris' chin. "Your life is presently in my hands. What's to stop me from executing you, as I have the others who've discovered my little secret? Hm?"

Aeris pondered this for a moment. "Nothing," she admitted after a moment. "However," she added quickly, "if you agree to help me stop Saahan... I swear to keep it a secret. And once Saahan's been stopped..." She took a deep breath. "...You'd be free to do what you'd want to me. De... devour me, spare me..."

"You jest," he said bluntly.

"I'm being completely serious," she insisted, meeting his eyes evenly. "It's a win-win situation for you; you stop Saahan from destroying your 'food'... and you get to keep your secret as such once he's been stopped."

"If I refuse?"

She closed her eyes. "You'd be a fool to refuse this offer," she whispered, "but if you _did... _well, I'm unable to escape the tree in the first place..."

Torvio tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You're a wily one..." He waved a hand casually, dismissing the vines binding Aeris' wrists. "...Alright, you've convinced me to do something I've not done since the years of your ancestors. I'll agree to this little... 'alliance' for the time being. I have one condition, however." He stepped closer, causing her to shrink back a little. "If, for any reason or at any time, I suspect duplicity on your part... I will consider our 'alliance' null and void, and deal with you accordingly. Am I clear?"

She looked confused. "I don't-"

"Don't play stupid with me, Ancient," he snapped. "I know how these sort of situations work. You give someone a win-win situation, with no benefits for yourself, then attempt to circumvent the conditions of the situation for your own benefit. By the end of this, I will end up devouring you; understand this. So, before that time comes, I firmly believe you will attempt to come up with a plot to get me killed prior to the fulfillment of our agreement. This is win-win for me, but you also win. You get to live longer, and you also get to plan a way to end-"

She shook her head vigorously. "No! I could never- that's not who I am!" she protested. "I'm not the scheming type, I swear! This is... this is what I truly want!"

He gave her a doubtful look, but eventually nodded. "Very well. I'm holding you to your word, Ancient-"

"Please... my name is Aeris," she cut in. "Calling me 'Ancient' is... well, it sounds strange to hear..."

Torvio nodded once more. "Aeris, then. I'm holding you to your word, and as I said, the second I believe you're double-crossing me... that's the end of it." He extended a hand to her. "Understood?"

She gently clasped his hand and gave it a shake. "Understood." _And so, I seal my eventual fate..._ she thought bitterly. _Well... at least I can begin, at last..._

"So, where to first, my friend?" His change from deathly serious to his usual, friendly atmosphere took Aeris by complete surprise.

"Oh, um... I-I was thinking about..." She thought for a moment about the crate from Shinra, and nodded to herself. "Shinra Headquarters. Saahan had a crate from Shinra, and it was sealed tight. I couldn't get it open, which means it's something of importance, right? Also, I'm just curious to see what Saahan could possibly have to do with Shinra. Maybe that's a start-"

"If he's intent on pumping the Lifestream full of faux-Lifestream," Torvio interrupted, "I think that's a pretty clear sign as to what he's up to, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, true, but..." Aeris faltered. "...He left Riuni with me for a while, before coming back and sending Riuni in his place. He brought a crate back with him, one with the Shinra logo on it. My guess is that Riuni is at Shinra now."

He regarded Aeris intently. "Riuni is a key part to your plan?"

"She's a key part to _his_ plan." She paused a moment. "The first step in my plan is to free Riuni from Saahan's grasp. Without her, his own scheme becomes much slower in progress, and gives us more time."

"Overly optimistic, but perhaps you are right." Torvio nodded. "Very well then; shall we set off for Shinra?"

"Yes. The sooner, the better."

* * *

_So Torvio's big secret? He 'devours' the Lifestream in all its incarnations. In his own way, he's also killing the planet, but compared to Mako reactors and Saahan's scheme? Not as severe. Kind of like a mosquito bite, I'd think._

_Sometimes, you've got to do crazy things in order to win over allies. Was Aeris' decision insane, then? Yes, definitely so. But the truth of the matter is that she really had no other outs. Either be devoured for discovering his little... 'addiction', we'll call it (I mean, eating materia can't be NORMAL or HEALTHY), or postpone the 'inevitable' by striking up a bargain._

_So, with Aeris and Torvio en route to Shinra, a run-in with Yuffie and Vincent seems inevitable. How the reunion will go from there? Anyone's guess._

_I keep trying to juggle this fanfiction and an actual story, but the fanfiction always seems to win out. The name Riuni? Yeah, shared with the main character of the story I'm TRYING to write. Completely different character type, though. It's not easy, considering my story keeps evolving... I write one thing, then another thing pops into mind and almost instantly overwrites more than half of the prior idea. It's infuriating; I might just put THAT on hold until **The Dying Stream **is done. At the very least, I want to get some sort of character description for the Riuni in my story (non-fanfic) written out and POSSIBLY drawn. Not sure at this point, though... we'll see._

_Ah, let's see... guess I'll just skip straight to..._

_Next chapter, what has Saahan been up to while Yuffie, Vincent, Aeris and Torvio have been busy? Has he made far more progress on his 'grand scheme' than either duo can possibly fathom? And to make matters far worse, a fight breaks out in New Shinra Headquarters, adding to a growing list of problems. But- wait! That can't possibly be...! -Spiritslayer_


	11. Glimpse of the Enemy

Footsteps echoed through the hallway as Saahan strode purposefully toward a meeting.

Although he'd been slack with New Shinra since Riuni threatened the life of the Ancient, said Ancient was no longer a concern - not with Torvio keeping her prisoner.

He grinned inwardly; he knew he owed Torvio nearly an entire lifetime of favors. Giving his millenia-old friend the Ancient was a small price to pay in order to secure his footing with his plan once more.

He also knew that, no matter what, Torvio would come to his aid once again if he asked it - not because of loyalty, but because Saahan just had a way with words that made even his peer consider certain actions to be worthwhile.

He paused outside a door and lifted a hand to rap on the door with his knuckles.

"It's open, brother," came a soft reply. "Let yourself in."

He chuckled as the door swung open of its own accord. "Ah, but sister, how am I to let myself in if you open doors _for_ me?" he inquired, stepping into the poorly lit room.

A woman with deep blue hair and eyes the same color gave him a small 'hn'. "You ought to know better by now, brother; when you come to meet me, I know."

The door closed behind him - again, of its own accord. What little light the open door presented faded into darkness, leaving only the excessively dim lighting to illuminate the woman's face. "How goes _your_ end, Azyr? Smoothly?"

Azyr closed her eyes, shaking her head lightly. "In time, Saahan. First, I wanted to tell you something important." She clasped her hands together and rested her elbows upon the desk before her, resting her chin upon her hands. "I've had a vision, brother... one you will not like."

His pleasant air started to fade rapidly. "Not another one of-"

"At the zenith of your victory," Azyr interrupted, "amber and emerald betray. Two sacrifices are made to put a decisive end to your revenge. Two more perish to ensure your complete destruction. Four lives to save all life from you."

Saahan stared at her, his midnight orbs seeming to flare in fury. "What would you _suggest_ I do, then?" he snarled.

Azyr's eyes opened slightly, the deep blue all but glowing in the darkness of the room. "Another vision reveals only one sacrifice to end both your revenge and you, should you abandon your revenge. Thus, I foresee only one option."

"Then I contin-"

"No." Azyr's statement was blunt, and made Saahan fall silent. "You _delay_. Allow the foe to make the first move, and capitalize upon their inevitable failure. Defeat the opposition first, then continue with the plan."

He scoffed. "This plan has been delayed for too long!" he snapped angrily. "For centuries, I've waited for the opportune moment to arise! You always tell me to 'delay', but there's never been opposition before-"

"No, never before now," she agreed. "However... your foes are realizing who they are, and starting to rise up. Some swiftly, others slowly. It is real, Saahan; you delay, you win. No other course guarantees your success-"

"Then I'll take my chances!" he growled. "I don't need a 'guarantee' to crush this planet underfoot!"

Azyr's eyes roamed his for a time. "You are beyond reasoning, Saahan," she said simply after a few moments' pause. "Your decision seals your fate; choose wisely."

He narrowed his midnight orbs at her. "And what of you, sister? You say amber and emerald-" He stopped short. "...Torvio and Riuni will betray- but how can that be? Torvio's always been a wild card, but Riuni-"

"Will be freed from you, no matter how tight your grip on her mind is. Be warned, however; the harder you try to keep her from your foes, the easier their rescue will be." Azyr stared into his narrowed eyes.

"You're telling me to cut Riuni loose, then." This was not a question.

Azyr simply nodded her head once. "Yes. Cut emerald free; none will understand the logic behind this decision - and neither will they be able to remove a critical piece from your plan."

"Riuni's not critical to-" he responded, but was cut off by a sharp look from her.

"No, but _that_ is."

He fell silent, frowning. "...Dammit. How long until...?"

"I cannot say for certain. Remember, however... at the zenith of your victory, amber and emerald betray."

He stared at her for a while. "...You are volunteering to replace Riuni."

"No." Azyr stood slowly, knuckles gently knocking the desk's surface. "I came to warn you - before I remove myself from this project."

His temper exploded. His midnight black aura erupted from around him, flying toward Azyr swiftly. "You will _not_ betray me!" he roared angrily, attempting to engulf her in the aura.

The aura surrounded her, but failed to cling to her directly. She shook her head once. "No, I won't. But neither will I be involved in this any longer. I, too, become a wild card, as amber has long been."

He glared at her, the expression softening very slowly. He eventually removed the aura from her, calming himself. "So with Riuni cut free, who replaces her role?"

Azyr let her deep blue aura emanate from her gently, letting it touch the wall directly behind her. "No one. That power is yours; you've just to realize it. You need no one else to succeed in this endeavor of yours. The company was a useful tool, but it is no longer worth your attention, or a place in your plan."

He looked at her disbelievingly. "New Shinra? What do you mean by that?"

An undeniable explosion rocked the room, temporarily throwing Saahan off balance. Azyr, however, was drifting toward the wall. "The company is not without its own enemies, brother. Those old enemies rise once more over a simple decision. It will be lost to you completely in a matter of three days."

"And the Mako reactors?" he asked.

She smiled faintly. "There are many throughout Gaia, brother; you will gather what you require from one before the company's complete and utter downfall. This is your plan, Saahan; you possess all you need to succeed. I simply warn you that your only true chance at success is to delay. Cut emerald free or not; it won't matter either way."

"Will Riuni kill anyone if I keep her under my control?"

Azyr shrugged. "Visions outline sacrifice, not murder. There is no certainty to such a question. There are too many variables to interfere with such matters of conflict."

Another explosion shook the building. Saahan stumbled once more, but regained his balance with no true effort. "I will miss you, sister. Your visions are welcome anytime."

Azyr nodded once. Her aura created a portal in the wall behind her, and she started to drift through it. "Visions of my own future are unsettling, but this is how it must play out," she said cryptically. "Best of luck, brother." She faded out of sight completely, her aural portal collapsing in on itself as it closed from the outer edge inward.

A third explosion rocked New Shinra headquarters, but he was expecting it this time. He watched the dim lights flicker to their full brightness as the last of Azyr's aura faded from the room before turning to the door. He opened it and stepped into the hallway, eyes on the vast glass window before him.

He chuckled as he stepped toward it. "With New Shinra coming down, what's one broken window?" he mused.

Moments later, the window shattered as a midnight black owl forced its way out.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie cursed as the first explosion knocked her off her feet. "By Levia- what in _hell_ was that?" she snapped, scrambling to her feet once more.

Vincent fought to maintain his balance. "...Bomb, if I had to guess," he said after a few moments' time. "New Shinra's under attack."

Yuffie frowned. "By who? Who's stupid enough to-" She fell silent as a second explosion rocked the building. "...No... he wouldn't have-"

"Yet there seems to be no other explanation available to us," Vincent said quietly. "So much for searching Saahan's office; we need to get out before the building collapses on us - and pray that Riuni survives this so we can interrogate her."

They started to head back the way they came before they heard gunshots. Vincent extended an arm in front of Yuffie, tugging Cerberus free with his other hand. "Stay back!" he commanded, barrels pointing to the space in front of him expectantly.

A third explosion deafened them both, causing them both to recoil from the commotion. Vincent heard Yuffie cry out, and whirled around, eyes scanning a hole in the wall to face-

She was down on the floor, hands over her head. Debris all but covered her. "...What in _fuck_ is he thinking?" she roared angrily. "I'm giving him a piece of my mind, I swear to-"

Vincent sighed wearily, extending a hand to Yuffie. "Are you hurt?"

She stood slowly, dusting herself off. She checked herself carefully, shaking her head after a long silence. "No, I'm fine."

They both heard a breaking window through the hole in the wall, causing Yuffie to run to the hole. She looked around frantically. "It's like he's trying to bring down-" Her jaw dropped. "Vincent, look!" She pointed into the sky.

Vincent took a few steps toward the hole, but didn't need to go further; he saw the enormous black owl flying away from New Shinra. He gritted his teeth. "Saahan..." he muttered.

"Huh? That huge owl's Saahan?" she exclaimed.

He ignored her, pushing past her. He raised Cerberus swiftly, aiming it at the escaping form of Saahan. He pulled the trigger once, then again, and continued to pull the trigger until Cerberus was empty. And even then, he continued to pull the trigger.

All the while, a steady growl was building into a roar of frustration. The reaction made Yuffie shrink back in fear, eyes affixed to her friend. "V-Vince? Are you...?"

He swiftly reloaded Cerberus as the owl's right wing seemed to twitch painfully. He aimed again and prepared to pull the trigger.

Yuffie snapped into action, grabbing Vincent's hand. "Stop!" she pleaded. "This isn't you! Vince, you're... you're _scaring_ me! Calm down!"

Vincent whirled on her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to attack her. He glanced out at the owl form of Saahan, watched as the owl turned to face the direction of New Shinra. He growled softly as Saahan simply turned away once more and continued to fly away.

"Vince..." she said softly, gripping his hand softly. "Please, calm down... we have other problems to worry about, remember?"

He looked at her once more, his temper quieting after a few seconds. "...Sorry. Seeing him again, I... I thought to end the problem once and for all." He watched Saahan fly away, lowering Cerberus slowly. "You're right; we need to escape first, before-"

A fourth explosion rocked the building, causing the hole in the wall to crumble further down the wall. "Before Barret's little temper tantrum kills us?" Yuffie offered.

Vincent nodded, and the duo leapt out the hole in the wall, landing safely on the ground below.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Barret's gun-arm was firing non-stop as he screamed obscenities at New Shinra. Security tried - and failed - to stop the rampaging man, attempts ending with bullets riddling their bodies.

"You wanna reinstate the Mako program, _I'll_ give y'all the same hell I did years ago!" he roared over the gunfire. He stopped firing long enough to charge a blast and fire it at the elevator, attempting to cut off escape routes.

He wasn't expecting the blast to explode before it hit its mark, and squinted to see past the dissipating blast.

An emerald-haired woman was standing where the blast exploded, an aura the color of her hair swirling around her. Her face bore a scowl, her hand outstretched in his direction. "Hey, pal. I don't mind you having a problem with New Shinra, but _don't_ destroy the building just because-"

He resumed firing the gun-arm, this time at Riuni. He growled angrily as each bullet was gathered up by the aura swirling around her hand.

She groaned in pain as each bullet tore through her aura, only to be suspended by it. With time, however, he stopped firing once more, and she heard the faint humming of the charged blast once more. She grinned through the pain as she spun her aura around the cluster of bullets she'd gathered and encased them in a thin shell. She whistled at him before launching the projectile at him quickly.

He quickly ceased the charge and fired at the projectile - not thinking of the consequences.

His counterfire pierced the aura shell around the bullets, causing an explosion to send the gathered bullets flying in _all_ directions. The explosion rocked the building. Glass shattered as stray bullets broke windows, people cried out in pain as other bullets found marks in arms, legs or worse.

Barret, however, caught the brunt of the shrapnel blast. He howled in pain as at least two dozen bullets found their mark in him, bringing him to a knee. He drew ragged breaths, glaring at her. "Wha... wha' in _fuck_ was tha'?" he seethed through gritted teeth.

"I'm not without my defenses," she said coolly, walking forward. She began focusing her aura upon her right index finger, eyes watching Barret as he raised his gun-arm at her. "Are you so sure you want a repeat of that last incident? Hm?"

"Ggh..." He began charging a blast and kept it aimed as steadily as he could at Riuni. The pain erupting throughout his body made concentration hard, however, and blurred his vision. "I'm not... done with you yet!" he shouted at her, firing the blast at her.

She rolled her eyes as she intercepted the blast with her aura, crying out in pain as she did so. This faded, however, as she held the blast in suspension with her aura.

He watched, horrified, as she encased the blast in the same aura shell. "Who... what are you?" he muttered, his vision doubling slowly.

She smirked at him. "Not important, dead man. At least, not important to _you_."

The aura shell flew in Barret's direction swiftly.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Saahan alighted upon a branch, hooting in pain. The hooting turned into humane groans as he shapeshifted to his humanoid form. He gripped his right arm firmly, gritting his teeth. "What the... who the _fuck_ hit me from that far?" he snapped, turning to face New Shinra's silhouette in the distance. He watched as smoke started to plume into the sky - a sign to him that New Shinra's headquarters were suffering heavily.

He thought back to his glance at the headquarters. Although he hadn't been able to pinpoint the exact location from which he'd been shot, he _had_ seen a figure clad in a red cloak, holding a gun of some sort. _Given the distance, I couldn't tell... but I'm willing to bet that person was the one who shot me._ He removed his hand from the wound and looked at it.

Three bullets, forming a triangle, were nestled into his arm pretty deeply. He let out a hiss of pain before digging into the wounds for the bullets with his fingers. He roared in pain as he worked to remove the bullets, wondering idly if that was what it felt like to have someone rip muscle from bone with nothing but their bare hands.

He eventually gave up, however, as he saw that his fingers were making the wounded area far bloodier and far worse than it had been. He concentrated as best he could to form a clawlike shape with his aura, and proceeded to have a second try at removing the bullets.

Through pain, blood and other messes, Saahan finally palmed all three bullets, hissing in pain. He focused his aura around the wound, allowing it to cut off the pained spasms he was now suffering. He looked back at New Shinra to see the smoke was all but billowing now.

He felt a bittersweet smile cross his expression as the headquarters eventually crumbled. _Azyr might have been right after all... I don't need New Shinra. All I need is one of the Mako reactors. _He slumped against the tree, eyes examining the bullets that had buried themselves in his wing/arm. He eventually closed his eyes and let his head thump softly against the tree's trunk.

_I'll find you, asshole... and when I do, ancestors have mercy on you - for I will not be so generous,_ he thought venomously, looking back at the ruins of New Shinra for a few moments. He slipped the three bullets into a pocket and transformed into his owl form once again. He ignored the throbbing of his right wing as he flapped it, and lifted off the branch awkwardly. Still, he managed to gain enough control to fly away from the tree - and toward the nearest Mako reactor.

_Six reactors remain in Midgar. Whoever attacked New Shinra, I'm sure they can't be everywhere at once,_ he thought smugly.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Barret wasn't sure what to expect when he woke up.

He certainly wasn't expecting Yuffie to shoot him a hateful glare - one he wasn't hesitant to return to the 'Shinra spy'.

Nor was he expecting Vincent to give him a disapproving look.

He _definitely_ wasn't expecting to see the emerald-haired woman staring at him, and he roared furiously at her. "Wha' _you_ doin' here, bitch?"

Riuni sighed, shaking her head. "Proving to Vincent and Yuffie that you're still _alive_," she grumbled. She looked at the duo, shrinking back from the angry glare of both.

Barret grumbled under his breath. "...Alrigh', what the fuck happened? I remember that blast knocking me out-"

"Yes, it hit and knocked you out. Unfortunately, aura shells don't make for ideal 'explode on contact'; it was roughly the equivalent to a punch to the gut." Riuni crossed her arms. "Wish I'd known that sooner..."

"So why was I saved?" he asked fiercely.

"Because you have a _lot_ of explaining to do," Vincent said coolly. He looked at Riuni. "I don't know _why_, nor do I _care_ why, you pulled him out of the building before it collapsed. I thank you for it, to be sure, but this doesn't absolve you of _any_ of the guilt that-"

Riuni closed her eyes. "I know, Vince-"

"You've no right to call him that," Yuffie snapped angrily. "None whatsoever, bitch. So go run back to Saahan, tell him we're coming for him. We'll put an end to his little game, mark my words. You get in our way, Riuni, we _will _kill you."

Riuni opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately decided against it. She simply nodded and started walking away from them.

Barret watched this entire exchange, confused. "Who the fuck is she, and who the fuck's this 'Saahan'-"

"None of your business," they both said simultaneously, shooting him identical glares.

Vincent knelt down next to Barret's prone position. "What's more important right now... is why you've destroyed New Shinra's headquarters, Barret. So explain. _Fast_."

* * *

_Amidst the chaos of Barret's 'unprovoked' assault on New Shinra, Saahan escapes with his life, Vincent gets a free shot at his enemy, Yuffie gets her first glimpse of one of Saahan's forms._

_Who is Azyr? An Arva, like Saahan. Her specialty lies in visions and portals; she's not a fighter, at least not like Riuni is. Nor can she force control over another, as Saahan can. By abandoning the fight, has she condemned Saahan? Or does she have another reason to leave her brother to fend for himself?_

_So, a very Merry Christmas to everyone! I don't want to think of this chapter as a Christmas gift, mostly because it just... feels like a filler of sorts... it's not SUPPOSED to be, but it has that 'filler' feel to it. Nor do I think I'll get an actual Christmas-worthy chapter/one-shot written in time to post here; it's 3 AM Eastern Time as I type this, and I'm tired... still, we'll see in the end._

_Next chapter, everything starts to come 'together'. Yuffie and Vincent are busy trying to track down Saahan, as are Aeris and Torvio. When both duos are approached by a mysterious woman, however, and told to meet in one place at the same time, how will they react? -Spiritslayer_


	12. Midnight Meeting

"Fate's wheel has begun to turn." The voice made Aeris jump, and she looked around quickly for the source.

Torvio, on the other hand, simply grinned. "Ah, sister. You're no longer standing at Saahan's side for eternity? A shame; you and he were a better match than Riuni was for him."

A deep blue portal appeared in the ground before them, and a woman with deep blue hair rose from the portal. "In your opinion, brother, in your opinion. Midnight always was the moody one." The woman set her feet down upon solid ground as the portal transformed into an aura - one that faded from view with time.

"'Childish' is more accurate," Torvio chuckled. "But enough about that; how goes it, Azyr?"

Azyr looked at Aeris, smiling softly after a few moments. "I see," was all she offered.

Aeris gave a small 'hmph'. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The planet is in good hands, for one such as you to rise to its defense," Azyr said. "And yet, I've no doubt you will be the one who causes amber to..." Her voice trailed. "Unimportant. Torvio, I've removed myself from Saahan's project, to better prepare myself for the future. Interestingly, you seem to be far more involved than ever before - the polar opposite of myself."

Torvio shrugged, looking to Aeris. "I have reasons to take a side now."

"I see." Azyr cleared her throat lightly. "In any event, you two are not alone in your endeavor to stop Saahan."

"We're not?" Aeris asked, surprised. "But it doesn't seem like anyone else-"

"Midnight's past has returned to haunt him, and is accompanied by the present. The future shows slimmest hope of success for midnight, and yet it's never been closer," Azyr said softly. "Fate itself conspires against midnight, yet he may defeat even fate. Time will tell."

Aeris gave Azyr a confused look. "Meaning...?"

Torvio laughed. "A vision, Aeris. Azyr is an Arva seeress. She has visions with little or no warning."

Azyr shook her head. "No, not a vision. An observation. Moments before I left our brother's presence, the company he's unofficially taken over came under attack."

"Shinra?" Aeris asked, thoughts flicking to the crate with the Shinra logo. "Saahan took over Shin-" She paused, closing her eyes. "Mako reactors... of _course_ he took over."

Azyr nodded, her blue eyes flicking to Aeris. "You were unable to open the crate."

The Ancient nodded, eyes opening once more. "It was sealed-"

"It was not yet the time for the crate to unseal," Azyr said. "When the time is right, it will open. The one in possession of the crate at that time will all but be guaranteed success in their endeavor. At present, it is in Saahan's hands."

Aeris' eyes widened. "We need to get to the Forgotten City!" she exclaimed. "That's where the crate-"

Azyr shook her head. "No. First, you must meet with your mysterious allies. They, too, seek Saahan's downfall, but cannot defeat him on their own - nor can you two."

Torvio grinned. "No, I didn't think we'd be able to. But regardless, you would help us... why?"

"It is my destiny," Azyr offered. "I am bound by fate now; I do what must be done for the upcoming conflict."

Torvio sighed, striding toward Azyr. He embraced her gently. "I dearly wish there was another possible destiny for you, sister," he said quietly. "Long have you guided us in times of darkness and need."

Azyr smiled, returning the embrace. "None can argue with fate and win. Not us, at least. Besides, the guide has never been me, but rather our now-wayward brother, Saahan."

He nodded grimly, letting go of Azyr. "I wonder what drove him to such... irrational choices..."

"The calamity was the trigger to his madness. It has been his own ignorance, however, that has transformed him into who he is now. None of my visions foresee a positive outcome for the Arva - any of us."

Aeris frowned. "Pardon, but... Arva?"

Torvio shook his head. "I'll explain later, Anci- pardon, Aeris."

Azyr's blue eyes locked with Aeris' eyes. "...You walk midnight's path, Ancient. Beware the consequences of every decision you make - for against midnight, nothing will go unpunished, for better or worse. What may seem the best path may be the worst, and vice versa. Follow not midnight's path as he did; turn neither blind eye nor deaf ear to those around you."

Azyr's words shook Aeris to her core. "Wh-what?"

"A vision revolving around you," Torvio explained briefly. "What it means is what you make of it." He looked at Azyr. "Humor me, sister... what does fate have in store for me?"

Azyr's eyes flicked from Aeris' to Torvio's. "...Troubling... two sets of uncertain footprints become certain... the strides between one set become more confident, yet hastier... twice, those prints double back upon themselves. And-" Azyr closed her eyes. "...The confidence warps to arrogance. The second set... vanishes completely, while the arrogant prints grow heavier... all at once, they vanish. Neither set is to be seen."

Torvio pondered this for a moment. "Curious. I'll take that vision to heart, sister. Thank you."

Azyr closed her eyes. "Where the planet's life was threatened years past, you will go. There, you shall meet your mysterious allies, and two duos become one group. Your numbers will increase and decrease uncertainly at seemingly random times... and yet, you will persevere."

Aeris opened her mouth to speak, but Torvio rested a hand upon her shoulder, shaking his head. "That will suffice, sister. We will go."

Azyr smiled as her aura radiated from her, forming a portal below her feet. "I know, brother. I shall see you once more, when midnight comes." She descended through the portal.

Aeris looked at Torvio. "I won't lie, I'm confused-"

"Azyr has that effect on people," he replied with a grin. "The vision is what you make of it. As for where to go, that ought not be confusing. Come; we ought not keep our allies waiting. And, as we walk, I'll explain the Arva to you."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie paced inside the old Sector Five church, eyes flicking to the pool in the center periodically. "Well, we're here, like that woman told us to be..."

Vincent chuckled softly. "I thought you didn't like the sound of pacing footsteps?" he mused.

"What else am I supposed to do? I'm anxious to see who else is against Saahan!" she exclaimed. "Here I thought it would just be the two of us against him and Riuni, but now we find out our odds are better than ever before!"

Vincent began pacing as well.

"Stop pacing," Yuffie muttered quietly.

"You stop first, hypocrite." He gave her a grin.

She shot him a look, stopping all the same.

He followed suit, eyes flicking to the door. "Visitor," he said briefly, nodding to the door as it opened.

Yuffie spun on the spot to face the visitor - no, visitors. There were two. One was a rather tall man with amber hair and amber eyes that seemed to glow. The other-

Yuffie staggered backward, blinking rapidly. "N-no way..." she murmured, staring at the long, brown hair tied in a braid, held in place by a ribbon. "B-but... what in _hell_ happened? Why are _you_ here?" she managed, pointing at the second visitor.

Aeris frowned, crossing her arms. "It's nice to see you too, Yuffie. I'm fine, thanks for asking." She sighed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no, it's just... well, you're dead!" Yuffie blurted.

Vincent glanced at Yuffie before looking back at Aeris. "You seem well enough," he said.

Aeris shrugged. "As well as a tormented soul can be, I guess... I know why I'm here, and why Torvio's here... but why are you two involved?"

Yuffie's mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

"I'm an acquaintance of Saahan's, and a former friend of Riuni's," Vincent said, breaking the moment's silence. "Yuffie stuck her nose too far into this matter of her own accord, and so she's here."

_That_ gave Yuffie her voice back. "Ex_cuse_ me? I stuck my nose- I was trying to get to the bottom of the Mako program's reinstatement! And _you_ weren't being helpful in the slightest!"

Aeris giggled, watching the two argue for a bit. "You're still a kid at heart, Yuffie," she said playfully. "That will never change, no matter how old you get." Her expression fell momentarily. "...Has it been seven years already...? Amazing..."

Vincent nodded. "No doubt Cloud would faint just seeing you again," he mused.

"Unfortunately," came a voice all four recognized by now, "involving your friends is ill-advised. The smaller the crowd, the better. You also have to consider the hot-headedness of a certain few when it comes to problems that threaten the very planet."

Torvio chuckled. "Midnight it is. Here as you said you'd be."

Yuffie edged away from the appearance of Azyr. "You still scare me," she admitted.

Azyr laughed softly. "That will wear off with time, I assure you." Her expression turned more somber. "Well, then... you're all gathered here. Three of you know one another, yet there is one present you two do not know." She indicated Yuffie and Vincent.

Yuffie felt her cheeks burn as Torvio stepped toward her and bowed. "Um... hi."

"Fine night, fine company," Torvio said casually. "I wish it were under more desirable conditions... in any event, I am Torvio, one of the last Arva on Gaia."

Yuffie's eyes widened. "Erm... is that really something to say so-"

"You already know my sister, Azyr. Surely you've assumed her, ah... methods and quirks aren't precisely normal," he offered carefully. "Besides, I recognize your friend, although he may not remember me; we've only met once, and we weren't introduced properly then."

Vincent gave Torvio a slow nod. "I remember you now, although it's very vague. You were with Saahan at the time."

"Indeed. It's been a long time, Vincent." Torvio turned his attention back to Yuffie. "And you are...?"

"Y-Yuffie Kisaragi," she stammered.

Aeris rolled her eyes. "You'll get used to that, Yuffie. He's rather... charming like that, but it's just who he is. You eventually learn not to think anything of it, except... well, it's just who he is."

Torvio laughed. "I'm willing to ignore the jab." He turned to Azyr. "So, sister... what could these two offer to aid Aeris and I?"

Azyr shook her head. "It's not what they can offer to help, it's what you four will do together, as a team, that will bring a stop to Saahan." She locked eyes with him. "I understand you're not used to working in a team since the calamity, but understand the necessity of it now." She looked at each of them. "We have a... rather rag-tag crew here. My brother, he... he's not worked on a team since he helped Saahan, myself and a group of Cetra seal Jenova. Then we have you, Yuffie-"

"What about me?" she asked a bit too sharply.

"Your head is in the right place... but you rush into danger without thinking the consequences through. Twice now, you've fallen into Riuni's trap - one such attempt nearly got you killed."

Yuffie shifted at the mention of the incident, but said nothing.

"Then you, Vincent... you know Saahan and Riuni on a more personal level than Yuffie or Aeris, but you are driven by a sole desire for revenge upon Saahan and, for some inexplicable reason, you are also driven by the desire to kill Riuni."

Yuffie's jaw dropped as these words registered. _What? But- I thought he was going to try and reconcile with-_

He simply nodded. "Riuni has gone too far in this endeavor with Saahan. There can be no safety, so long as she lives."

"Do you truly believe that, or is that your hardened, frozen heart speaking?" Azyr asked without hesitation.

To this, he didn't reply.

"And then you, Aeris... you were first among the humans to become tangled in the mess. A simple attempt to stop Riuni from honing her skills in the Forgotten City brought you under Saahan's control, and you've been deeply involved in this ever since."

Aeris waited for the jab. "But...?" she prompted.

"Your heart is too soft for the decisions that must be made. You, an Ancient, are best suited to lead this group... yet the decisions required will be extremely difficult and oftentimes impossible in your eyes. Each difficult decision you make will make you doubt yourself needlessly."

"But-"

Azyr gazed at her. "I've seen it many times before. There will be self-doubt many times over."

Torvio watched this exchange with mild amusement. "You are prompting her with her first decision."

Azyr nodded. "You must choose whether or not you truly wish to lead. If so, you will not be able to go back from here on out; each final decision will be on your word. If not, you must designate someone else to lead - bearing in mind each of their individual personalities and goals."

Aeris closed her eyes. "...I..."

All eyes rested on her while she thought.

"...I'll lead," she finally said. "No offense, but... I seem to have the most level head-"

"You also have the only plan," Torvio added with a wink.

Aeris chuckled weakly. "There's that, too..." She looked at Yuffie and Vincent. "Is this alright with-"

"It's your decision," Vincent said, making Aeris jump. "You're doing what you believe to be best for all of us."

Azyr watched the exchange for a moment, then cleared her throat. "I must take my leave of you shortly, so I will leave you with this parting thought." She closed her eyes. "...I see blood... and tears. The blood ushers hopelessness... the tears hasten it. Yet I also see..." Her voice trailed. "...Curious..." she murmured, opening her eyes. "The second decision lies before you now."

Aeris sighed. "What must I decide?"

"The town outside of here has come under siege from a midnight experiment. While the town suffers, midnight moves on to a location of importance."

Yuffie and Vincent started. "Edge?" Yuffie exclaimed. "Saahan's attacking it?"

Azyr shook her head. "Not directly, but yes all the same. He has taken the first important step in his project; the decision is as such."

Aeris shivered visibly. "I must choose to save Edge, and those within it... including my friends... or pursue Saahan, and leave Edge to..." Her voice trailed.

Azyr nodded. "Very good. Midnight is still in close proximity, so you can catch his trail... or you can save your friends, and let the trail go cold. The choice, of course... is yours, Ancient." A portal appeared beneath Azyr's feet. "Remember what I said before," she murmured before vanishing through the portal.

Aeris couldn't watch as Azyr departed their company. She couldn't focus as-

"Remember _everything_ my sister told you," Torvio offered quietly, resting a hand upon her shoulder reassuringly. "'Turn not-'"

Aeris nodded silently. "Thoughts...?"

Yuffie shook her head vigorously. "We can't let Edge be destroyed! We need to go there and save-"

Vincent stared at Yuffie. "Edge has its defense, Yuffie. Cloud and Tifa, at the bare minimum. Reeve and the WRO are in close proximity, as well. We ought to give chase to Saahan, and prevent more of these incidents from occurring."

"But-" Yuffie began protesting.

"Have faith in them, Yuffie," Vincent said sternly. "They won't go down without putting up a fight - if they go down at all."

"We don't even know what this experiment _is_!" she protested. "It could be a... a ghost, or some virus, or... I don't know! It could be a swarm of Meteors, for all we know!"

Aeris listened to them start to bicker back and forth, and just sighed. "Torvio?"

"Saahan will not stop these experiments unless we stop him first; it is his nature. Yet at the same time, his experiments have a history of being horrifying to behold. Most who suffer as test subjects never survive to, ah... 'serve' him a second time." He shrugged. "The decision is yours, Aeris."

_What may seem the best path may be the worst... and vice versa..._ Aeris thought to herself. _Which is it this time...?_

"...you can't find it in yourself to think they need our help, then maybe you should just go wherever you want to-" Yuffie was saying to Vincent.

"No."

All eyes fell on Aeris at her one word.

"You've decided." Torvio met her eyes.

"...The fate of the world rests on our shoulders. If we let Saahan get away with everything he wants to, and just clean up after him... we won't _have_ a world to save."

Yuffie's jaw dropped. "W-wait! You can't mean to just leave them to-"

Aeris squeezed her eyes shut. "My mind's made up, Yuffie... we pursue Saahan, and pray for Edge's safety... just believe in-"

Her words were cut off as Yuffie bolted from the church. She gasped, and turned to face the retreating figure. "Yuffie, wait! Where are you-"

"To Edge, where else?" the Wutain shot back. "_You_ may think it's all well and good to abandon the living, Aeris, but _I'm_ not about to make the same mistake! So go ahead, chase after the asshole! _I'm_ doing what's _right_!" She was gone before Aeris could protest.

The Ancient felt tears well up in her eyes. "...Did I make the wrong decision...?" she asked quietly.

"You decided what you believed to be best," Torvio said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "In honesty, I'd have made the same decision; Saahan's depravity knows no bounds. One town versus the world... it's a small price to pay, but one that must be paid."

"'Against midnight, nothing will go unpunished,'" Aeris whispered, shivering. "...Damn you, Saahan..."

* * *

_And with that, the conflict begins in earnest._

_No, I haven't forgotten to include Barret's explanation for attacking New Shinra (although it seemed pretty self-explanatory in the last chapter; there's more to it, though). That'll come up in a later chapter._

_I had a hard time figuring out which decision Aeris would reach on an IC basis. It's in her nature to want to help others, I've found... but when faced with a dire threat, she's willing and able to do whatever it takes to stop them. So, I went with the 'chase after Saahan' choice. Of course, Yuffie's on her way to Edge despite Aeris' decision, so it's not like it's TRULY abandoned._

_Feeling kind of 'blah' thus far... luckily, I have the next two days off, so I can figure up something exciting. I think._

_Next chapter, Aeris' decision to chase Saahan has obviously left Yuffie feeling all but betrayed. Will that betrayal become deep-seated, or, upon arriving in Edge, will she eventually see the 'lesser of two evils' in Aeris' logic? Meanwhile, Saahan's busier than ever. With his experiment in Edge a success, he's ready to step it up to the next level... so why is Azyr suggesting he take an alternate route? -Spiritslayer_


	13. The Lifestream

_I can't believe her!_ Yuffie thought as she ran in the direction of Edge. _She would abandon her friends - the friends who keep her memory alive, who love and honor her for what she did for the planet? She would say 'to hell with them' just to chase after some idiot-_

Her thoughts were cut off, however, as she noticed a pale blue-green glow on the horizon. She tried to think of what it could possibly be, but eventually shrugged it off. _I feel like I've seen it before, though_... she thought to herself as she continued to run.

Her thoughts turned to Vincent's own decision, and her heart sank. _I expected him to understand as well... so why did he opt to abandon Edge as well? I thought we understood one another by now... now, I'm not sure I understand him at all._

She shook the feelings of betrayal from her mind and started to imagine all the possibilities as to Edge's problem. _Cloud and Tifa are there, at least, so I'm sure they'll put up a fight. It's not like Edge will go down without a defense being mounted first._

As she drew nearer, her thoughts drifted back to the pale blue-green glow she had spotted earlier, and she noticed it seemed to be growing brighter the closer she got to-

She stumbled as she came to a stop, the momentum of her run nearly knocking her off her feet. "The Lifestream..." she whispered, eyes widening. "That's the same color as..."

She allowed herself not another word, nor another thought. She pushed on at maximum speed, more desperate than ever to reach Edge.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris watched Torvio as the Arva concentrated, his eyes closed. "Almost?"

He nodded wordlessly.

Vincent watched silently, arms crossed. "May I ask what he's doing, exactly?"

Aeris looked at Vincent. "Torvio has an affinity for manipulating plants. He's trying to locate Saahan using plants, whether they be trees, leaves, vines, airborne seeds..."

"Hm... his aura mutated approximately... two miles west of Edge."

"Mutated?" Aeris asked, dreading the worst.

His answer made her sigh with relief. "Well, shifted is more accurate. His aura 'mutated' in such a manner that it transformed him into his owl form. Pardon; mutation of one's aura is considered natural to the Arva."

"Can anyone mutate their aura?" Vincent asked.

Torvio chuckled, opening his eyes. "It's within anyone's ability to perform, yes. Success, however, is exceptionally slim. That I'm aware of, only Arva are able to 'mutate' with the greatest of ease. Others who try - and fail - oftentimes end up causing irreversible damage to themselves, at the minimum."

Vincent couldn't fight back the cold chill that passed through him at the thought.

"As for Saahan's whereabouts, the trees of the mountains west of here have caught his aura. He appears to be flying in the general direction of that military town..."

"Junon," Vincent said simply. "Why would he go to Junon, though? What's-"

"The underwater reactor, maybe?" Aeris offered. "I don't see any other reason, either..."

"...Was Edge intended as a distraction for us?" Vincent asked quietly. "Did he attack Edge simply because he wanted to keep any pursuers busy?"

"It's possible," Torvio said, shaking his head as though to clear it. "Excuse me a few moments; prolonged inquiry of the flora can be tiresome and dizzying at times." Once he felt sufficiently recovered, he continued. "Saahan's ruthless; he'll put others in harm to keep himself out of harm's way. He always expects - for some odd reason - the softer, caring side of people to emerge in dire times, and probably believed his pursuers - us - would go to help Edge, as opposed to giving chase."

Aeris shivered. "That's not ruthless... that's-"

"Cold and heartless. The method of a true psychopath," Vincent said bluntly.

Aeris looked at both of them and gave a slow nod. "We ought to make our way toward Junon as fast as possible. Torvio, is there any shortcut we can-"

As though on cue, three enormous buds burst above the ground and opened to reveal space enough to fit one person each. "I found this very rare plant centuries ago," Torvio said with a grin. "Travel buds; they travel underground at high speeds to take the passenger to random locations, when not guided by someone. Luckily, I'm here to guide these three."

"Will these things get us to Junon before Saahan?" Vincent asked warily, eyes upon the interior of one of the travel buds. "I've become rather claustrophobic as of late, and if we're going to get to Junon after Saahan, I'd rather-"

"It's faster than walking, Vincent," Aeris said, stepping toward one of the travel buds. "We don't have a means of traveling through the air like Saahan does, and overland travel would force us to go around the mountains - or try hiking them." She rested a hand upon the travel bud. "This is our best choice. Besides, you, claustrophobic? Weren't you in a coffin for-"

Vincent shot her a severe look. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed my stay in the coffin. I followed all of you seven years ago in order to find a chance to exact revenge upon Hojo, true... but I also couldn't stand being in the coffin after being alert for that brief time."

Aeris giggled while Torvio simply grinned. "We'll arrive mere seconds after Saahan does. From there, he will take to walking to avoid drawing unwanted attention to himself. Oh, and whatever you do," he added with a somber look, "do _not_ thrash inside the travel bud. They get, ah... 'irritated', and are not afraid to dispose of their passenger at any time."

Vincent glared at the travel bud he had a feeling he was going to be traveling in. "...If this fucking thing inadvertantly buries me underground, then so help me..." he grumbled, stepping toward it reluctantly.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Saahan landed upon a branch, hooting softly.

"Yes?" he heard Azyr ask. He shifted to his humanoid form, balancing carefully upon the branch.

"You're a wild card, through and through. I sensed Torvio's 'eyes' upon me moments ago." He looked around, searching for Azyr. "You played a part in that."

"I did. I also alerted them to your attack on Edge."

"And their plan?" He gave up trying to locate her. "Are they saving Edge, or pursuing me?"

Azyr's soft laugh seemed to echo everywhere at once. "That ruins the surprise, brother."

He sighed. "Step into the open, Azyr. I feel strange talking to open space like this."

"I'm leaving shortly; elsewhere to be."

"That's an excuse." He resumed searching for her. "I visited your sanctum for a reason, sister."

"I'm aware. When was the last time you ever visited just for the sake of visiting?"

He leapt off the branch into a small clearing ringed by multitudes of flowers, all of them different colors and sizes. His eyes flicked to the break in the canopy of trees around him to regard the clear night sky, scanning the stars and moon.

"I hate it here," he said simply. "Too... peaceful. It's deceiving, considering the state of matters outside your sanctum."

"It makes for ideal concentration," was her only reply.

He closed his eyes and envisioned Azyr's face behind his closed eyelids. "My experiment was far too unstable for my preferences. Even now, the area surrounding Edge crumbles away. I lack precision, as Riuni has."

"Force her to do it for you."

"I don't need her, or so you told me. I've not been able to locate her since New Shinra collapsed. Odds are she was killed by the collapse; I see little other explanation." He paused for a moment. "Suggestions?"

"One. With Riuni missing, you lack steady access to an Arveborne. Ironically, you now require an Arveborne in order to further your independence."

"The 'devouring' of an Arveborne, yes. I thought of it as well, and was disheartened to learn I've lost Riuni for that purpose. The precision an Arveborne possesses is far greater than what I possess... yet they lack the power."

"So create another."

He snorted. "The only ones who know - and likely _understand_ - the Arva's situation are either deceased, or actively opposed to me. I-"

"Are you not the guide?" Azyr interrupted. "The one who leads those who are lost?"

He paused. "You're suggesting I control and overtake..." His voice trailed. "...Yes, perhaps that _is _the best course. I'd hoped to cease the needless mind control, but once more, it seems..."

"You remember the process, I take it-"

"Of course I do; it just never dawned on me that it was the way." He opened his eyes to find Azyr standing directly in front of him, her eyes aglow from the moonlight.

She smiled softly. "Then go. Three pursue you to your next destination. One does not."

He felt a grin creep to his face. "Perhaps the catastrophe at Edge isn't without purpose after all..." he murmured quietly, transforming into an owl once more. He flapped his wings and flew out of Azyr's sanctum, intent on reaching Junon once more.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

It was a nightmare in her eyes.

Yuffie felt her knees give out, yet didn't feel herself fall to them. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but didn't feel them roll down her cheeks. She felt her throat scream, but heard no sound.

The town of Edge, as she remembered it, was no longer there. The busy streets, the center of town, the monument... none of it lay before her eyes.

In its place was a crater of pale blue-green substance. The scene reminded her of Mideel in so many ways, it terrified her.

_Saahan... sank Edge into the... into the Lifestream...?_ repeated over and over in her mind. It was the only thought she had.

She wished the nightmare away, but realized, with much pain, that the scene before her was very real.

_Edge is gone..._ she thought, struggling to stand. She wanted to scream in anger, in despair. She had a sudden urge to leap into the Lifestream pooled in the crater, to daringly save the lives of those that were inevitably killed - no, _murdered_ by Saahan.

She knew she wouldn't survive such a foray, however.

Edge was lost, and there was nothing she could do to save it or its people.

She slowly registered what her other senses were trying to convey to her. She smelled the Lifestream's scent, and it immediately made her think of Aeris, for one reason or another. She could taste the bile building in the back of her throat as the severity of the situation hit her all at once and threatened to make her sick. She heard voices calling out to her right-

She blinked. _Voices...? Are there survivors? _She looked to her right, and stood shakily. She placed one foot before the other, moving toward the voices.

She felt a new wave of tears surge to her eyes as she recognized the most... dominant voice present. She felt her legs pick up speed as she broke into a run. She felt her arms wrap around the figure of Tifa in a tight hug. "Y-you're alright!" she squeaked, her voice suffering from disuse.

Tifa's eyes widened in surprise. "Yuffie? What's-" She hugged the Wutain back, closing her eyes. "I-I didn't know you were here!"

"I just arrived, and... and saw..." Yuffie's euphoria at seeing her friend faded as the image of the destroyed Edge filled her eyes once more. "What happened here...?"

Yuffie could feel the barmaid shudder, and looked up at Tifa.

"It... without warning, the monument just... _exploded_ in a mess of... of Lifestream. The... it spread, crumbling from the center. It stopped after a moment, near the edge of the square... before the weight of the buildings apparently... _crumbled_ the earth rimming the pool..." Tifa sobbed. "We- people ran scared, trying to escape the quickly collapsing ground. Cloud and I, we did what we could to get people out, before Edge..." She gestured wordlessly to the crater.

"...And Cloud?"

"He's... he's here, but... he fell into the Lifestream. Just his left arm, but... I-I've never seen anything like... like this before..." She reluctantly let go of Yuffie and turned to the crowd of people behind her. "These people you see here... they're the only ones that made it out of Edge alive."

Yuffie's eyes bulged in shock. She took a swift headcount, and (after identifying Cloud's spiky blonde hair and picking Marlene and Denzel out of the group) trembled.

"Three dozen..." she whispered. "Only thirty-six survived...?"

Tifa nodded grimly, the thought disturbing her as well. "I... I have no idea what caused this... it all happened so fast..."

Yuffie's mind flicked to the midnight black form of the owl that was Saahan, and she felt her hands clench into fists. "That fucking asshole will _pay_ for this..." she murmured quietly.

Tifa caught her words and grabbed Yuffie's shoulders. "Someone caused this?" she exclaimed. "Who was it, Yuffie? You _know_, I know you do! Who's the one responsible for-" The barmaid's eyes went wide in pain as Yuffie shook her head. "Y-you can't... you _have_ to tell me, Yuffie! Only three dozen of us made it out! If someone caused this, it's murder of the worst- no, it's borderline _genocide_!"

"You think I don't know that?" Yuffie retorted, locking eyes with Tifa. "I can't tell you, because then you'd all be involved in-"

Tifa, for the first time in a very, very long time, slapped Yuffie as hard as she could. "We _would_ be involved?" she shrieked. "_Look around you, Yuffie! How are we not involved already?_"

Tifa's words struck Yuffie harder than the slap did, and caused the Wutain to fall silent.

Tifa seized Yuffie's shoulders once more. "Answer me, dammit!" she demanded. "We'll make the one responsible _pay_ for this dearly, so just-"

A cacophony of screams rose above Tifa's voice, cutting off her words. She looked behind her to see the crowd of survivors pointing in the direction of the crater, and looked to it herself.

A small tendril rose from within the Lifestream, the tip moving in their general direction. Tifa's jaw dropped, her legs began to quake.

It was moving towards _her_-

She gasped as the tendril seized Yuffie's left wrist and began to pull her into the air. Tifa grabbed Yuffie's right hand, attempting (in vain, she knew) to hold her down. "Yuffie!" she cried out.

The tendril, however, proved much stronger than the barmaid's grip, and pulled Yuffie from her - directly into the pool of Lifestream.

"_Yuffie!_" Tifa screamed, hand outstretched uselessly in the direction of the spot where Yuffie was pulled under.

Yuffie panicked the entire time, wondering if she was going to die. She felt something compress all around her, as though she were encased in a full body cast. The only color that filled her eyes was the pale blue-green of the Lifestream. She tried to cry out, but once again, her voice abandoned her.

The smell of the Lifestream eventually overwhelmed her senses, and caused her to pass out.

* * *

_Not much else can be said about what just happened without giving anything away._

_It. Is. HELL out there. I live in the northeast, and we probably had almost two feet of snow today. I know we had at LEAST a foot before I left the house... it's stopped snowing since then, but it's still madness out there. Winter is officially here now... as much as it hurts to say it._

_Next chapter, Aeris, Vincent and Torvio arrive at their destination together. From there, they begin to seek out Saahan himself. What they uncover in their search, however, puts the situation well into perspective for them... and when they get a chance to confront Saahan himself, why are they so willing to NEGOTIATE with him? -Spritslayer_


	14. Depravity

The ground outside of Junon burst open in three spots as three buds worked their way to the surface. Two of them opened seconds after breaching the surface.

Torvio and Aeris stepped out of their buds, eyes on Vincent's bud. "Is he alright?" Aeris asked, shuddering. _Travel buds are NOT my preferred method of travel._

To her surprise, Torvio grinned. "He'll be fine. I'm merely, ah... having some fun at his expense."

Aeris smacked him upside the head. "Come on, this isn't the time!" she snapped. "Let him out already!"

The third travel bud opened very slowly - or at least, it did until Vincent forced his way out. His eyes were affixed upon Torvio, hand twitching over Cerberus. "You sonuvabitch," he growled.

Torvio laughed. "Enjoy the trip?" He made a brief show of dusting himself off, although there was nothing dirtying about the trip.

"Shut up," Vincent seethed, hand moving away from Cerberus as he managed to contain his anger. "Are all Arva so sadistic, I wonder?"

"Well, that remains to be seen," Torvio said, still apparently enjoying himself. "I'm probably the most sadistic without being a murderer like Saahan. My sister, however, has shown no allusions to sadism herself, at least not yet."

Aeris cleared her throat as the three travel buds burrowed underground once more, moving away from them. "You two can fight later. Right now, we have something more important to look into, right?"

They both looked at her, then nodded. As she turned toward Junon, however, they both looked at each other once more. Torvio wore an amused grin on his face, Vincent was shooting the Arva his most severe glare yet.

"Let's go," she said.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

She drifted in and out of consciousness, eyes refusing to open.

"...strong..." she heard faintly. The voice sounded sad.

She struggled to wake, to open her eyes. Her body was unresponsive, however, and she merely continued to drift in and out of consciousness.

"...be strong..." the voice said once more, barely audible.

_Who... is that...?_ she wondered.

All at once, the voice suddenly became clear and very audible. "You must be strong, Yuffie Kisaragi. Do not give up."

Yuffie's eyes finally cracked open ever so slightly, only to be blinded by the pale blue-green of the Lifestream. Her eyes closed almost immediately, and she lost consciousness once more.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"I recognize that Saahan has gone mad... but I hadn't thought it was _this_ bad," Torvio remarked with a tinge of horror in his voice, his narrowed eyes scanning the room they had stepped into. What had once been a room intended for security was anything but now; various scientific apparatus were prominently displayed, barely visible in the darkness - a darkness that was given an eerie glow by a single tank on the far side of the room, filled with a pale blue-green substance.

Aeris stared at the tank, jaw hanging. "Wh-what is Saahan doing...?" she whispered faintly.

Vincent's hand was hovering over Cerberus. "Damned if I know, but we can extract that answer from him once we find him." He looked around. "Be careful; there may be traps to keep intruders such as us occupied."

Aeris nodded, while Torvio shrugged. "Not my brother's preferred method of operating, but whatever you want to believe..."

The trio stepped forward slowly, their movements quiet. The only real sound was Vincent removing Cerberus from its holster, as though expecting trouble.

"There's a door in that corner," Vincent said quietly, indicating to a spot further down the wall to their left. "I'm willing to bet Saahan is past it, somewhere."

"Agreed," Torvio said just as quietly. He produced a single seed and turned it over in his fingers slowly. "Well then, let us make haste, and not dally in this unnerving room."

Aeris looked at Torvio in surprise. "It's unnerving to you?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

He nodded. "Not once, since we entered this room, has the feeling as though I'm being watched... faded. There's someone or something watching... well, _me_, at least. I don't know about you two, however..."

As they stepped closer to the door, the substance inside the tank bubbled enough to make Aeris gasp. "D-did you two see...?" she asked, taking a step back.

Torvio glanced at the tube. "Something wro-" He, too, shrank back slightly as the bubbling repeated. "...Interesting, to, ah... say the least..."

Vincent peered at it intently, a trembling hand the only indicator of fear on his part. "It looks as though there's something... _breathing_ inside..." he murmured quietly.

Aeris stepped toward the tank, unable to tear herself away from the sight which was obviously haunting her. She gasped again, this one sounding mortified. "Th-there's... there's s-some... th-there's s-someone... i-in the t-tank..." she stammered as quietly as she could. "I-it l-looks... human..."

Vincent and Torvio stepped closer, eyes affixed on the tank - on the vague outline of a figure inside. "Is Saahan following in Hojo's footsteps?" Vincent hissed angrily, his stride picking up pace. "Is he experimenting on helpless victims for his own ends?"

Torvio stopped altogether. "Don't move!" he ordered as loudly as he dared.

Both Aeris and Vincent stopped moving, although Vincent was far more reluctant to do so. "What's wrong?"

"...If my theory is correct... there's no one inside the tank..." he murmured, eyes watching it carefully.

To their horror, a single eye opened within the tank, staring back at Torvio. Aeris swayed on the spot before falling over. Vincent rushed toward her to catch her and keep her from falling to the floor.

"...I see, brother... so your depravity is indeed as severe as his was..." Torvio said, stepping forward. He palmed the seed in his fingers, watching as the single eye split into two seperate eyes, both of them still affixed on him. "Except... yours is still getting far, far worse..."

What appeared to be rows upon rows of jagged teeth appeared beneath the eyes as the entity within the tank gave them what appeared to be a twisted mockery of a grin. What appeared to be hands seemed to _grow_ from the entity's sides, stretching out as arms grew behind the hands.

Then, without warning, one of the entity's hands curled into a fist and slammed against the glass keeping it at bay. Its other hand curled into a fist as well, and it began hammering fiercely on the glass, as though attempting to break free of the tube.

Vincent aimed Cerberus at the tank, eyes narrowed. "What _is_ that thing?" he asked, forgoing all need for stealth; the pounding upon the tank was echoing through the room.

Torvio palmed the seed and allowed it to sprout vines around his fingers, vines that covered his fingers in what appeared to be razor-sharp claws. "I have a guess," he began uncertainly, "but for now, that's all it-"

The glass shattered, cutting off his words. The pale blue-green substance rushed out of the tank, the entity falling into what appeared to be a puddle amidst the contents of the emptied tank.

All three kept their eyes fixed on the puddle. Vincent aimed Cerberus at it, watching and waiting.

"Wh-what just... did it die?" Aeris asked uncertainly.

The puddle seemed to _leap_ at Aeris suddenly, a head forming as it traveled through the air at her. It formed claws which reached for her, a mouth formed and opened to reveal the razor-sharp teeth reforming as well. The eyes reappeared as well, affixed on the Ancient.

An ear-splitting screech ripped through the room, one that silenced Aeris' scream of terror.

The left set of claws gripped her right shoulder fiercely, the sharp tips digging into her shoulder mercilessly. The mouth contorted into the same mockery of a grin before opening wide, aiming for her neck.

The screech cut off abruptly as Torvio appeared next to Aeris, his left hand raised in the air. His viny claws were dripping with the pale blue-green substance, his eyes were affixed on the entity's head. A sickening 'thump' was heard as the hand buried into Aeris' shoulder fell slack from her, hitting the floor - where it quickly became amorphous and dissolved into the puddle.

Rather than turn its head, the eyes and mouth simply _shifted_ so they were facing Torvio. The left arm suddenly sharpened to resemble a scythe blade, and swung at Torvio with no pause.

Torvio simply _blocked_ the incoming blade with his claws, and grinned wickedly at the entity. He buried his claws into the bladed arm and _ripped_ the arm off from the grasped location.

The entity was not fazed, however, and it surprised all three of them by _shooting_ what appeared to be a bundle of pale blue-green needles into Torvio's stomach at high speed. A massive claw formed at the severed location on its arm and raced toward Torvio's heart with unbelievable speed.

A shot rang out as Vincent blew the massive claw off with Cerberus. He adjusted his aim so it was aimed at the entity's 'stomach', and fired again. He repeatedly shot the entity until it stopped moving. He eyed it warily before preparing to reload.

As he reloaded, the entity's stomach bubbled violently. A single sphere traveled on the outside of the entity's 'body' to the end of the arm. Once there, the sphere began to bubble before exploding in Vincent's direction - sending _every_ bullet Vincent had shot into it flying back at him with the same speed at which Cerberus had fired.

Vincent was knocked off his feet as the bullets each found a place embedded in his skin. He landed on his back, the impact winding him. He gasped for air, pain shooting throughout his entire body.

Torvio watched, his eyes traveling to the entity's head for a moment. He ignored the stabbing pains in his stomach and lashed out at the entity's head with his claws.

The claws found their mark as they buried themselves into the 'forehead' of the entity. He clenched the claws into a fist and ripped back forcefully, holding a very sizeable chunk of the substance in his hand.

The entity bubbled fiercely before dissolving into the puddle at its base. Vincent and Aeris watched the puddle, as though expecting it to rise up once more and continue the relentless onslaught.

"I-is it... d-dead?" Aeris stuttered, her hand slipping to her injured shoulder.

To their surprise, Torvio nodded. He dropped the chunk and examined his claws. "I would imagine so," he said simply, watching as the chunk dissolved into the puddle.

Vincent closed his eyes, agony racing through his body. "What... in fucking _hell_... was that thing?" he gasped.

Aeris bit her lip, moving toward Vincent. She knelt down and began working healing magics through his body.

Torvio allowed one of the viny claws to wind around the needles still embedded in his stomach, and ripped them out without much effort. He groaned in pain, allowing the needles, too, to drop to the floor, where they rejoined the puddle. He examined the pale blue-green residue on his claws, turning away from them both. "I have no idea," he admitted. "I know an Arva, about a thousand years ago, attempted something similar... but failed miserably." He brought the claws closer to his face and licked one claw. "It appears to be... Lifest-"

His words cut off abruptly as his eyes widened in shock. He retched, spitting the residue from his mouth. The Arva gagged as he attempted to work any remaining residue from his mouth. "Disg- disturbing," he managed through sickened reactions. He eyed the puddle warily.

"Oh my... now _this_ is not what I was expecting to see," came a voice they all recognized. They all jumped in surprise, and within moments, Cerberus was aimed, albeit shakily, at the form of Saahan standing in the doorway that had been their target location.

The puddle provided the only illumination in the room, and cast an eerie glow upon Saahan's face. His eyes were masked in darkness, but the smirk on his face was obvious enough. "Well, I wasn't expecting company, to be sure..." His eyes flicked from Torvio to Aeris, then to-

Vincent was glaring at Saahan, and he could all but sense the Arva return the glare. "Saahan."

"Vincent Valentine... what a _pleasure_ to see you again!" Saahan exclaimed, his smirk widening. "Last I heard, you were dead; I suppose this goes to prove how wild speculation can be very misleading, yes?"

"Don't you play fucking innocent with us!" Vincent snapped angrily, wincing as Aeris' healing magics worked each bullet out of his body and healed the injuries. "What you've done here is insane, _far_ more so than Hojo's twisted-"

"Hojo was a scientist obsessed with Jenova, experimenting with Mako... in short, a very blind man, a blindness not even his glasses could help with." Saahan leaned against the doorframe casually. "I am experimenting with neither. Frankly, I could care less about Jenova or Mako. No, I am more interested in... the Lifestream."

Aeris flicked her eyes to him briefly. "You want to destroy the planet by flooding the Lifestream with faux-Lifestream. So why do-"

He laughed at her. "Has my brother filled your head with _nonsense_, Ancient? I do not wish this world _destroyed_, per se... no, my goal is a bit more... open-minded. I live on this planet; I would not destroy my home, only to cause myself to perish in the process." He calmed himself after a moment, the amusement still apparent on his face.

Cerberus clicked once as Vincent pulled the trigger. He cursed his idiocy and pulled Cerberus back to him - he hadn't reloaded. "So why would you do something so... _insane_ as this?" he retorted, gesturing to the puddle.

"That would be telling, no? I would prefer to keep things as a very pleasant surprise for all of Gaia. You shall see, once the day comes..."

"And Edge?" Aeris finished healing Vincent, and turned her attention to Saahan fully. "What would be so 'pleasant' about having a group of these things assaulting your home?"

Saahan cackled with mirth. "You think I attacked Edge with _surgers_?" he exclaimed. "Oh, ancestors, no! You seem to be as blind as Hojo was!"

"Surger being the entity we just fought," Torvio responded. The viny claws extended slightly as Torvio started toward Saahan.

"Yes. The thing you just fought is called a 'surger' - or I call them such, at any rate."

"I have a question, Saahan." Torvio's expression was difficult to read.

"I'd prefer if you called me 'brother'."

"You've lost all rights to that respectful title. No one who has fallen lower than crimson ever did is deserving of the title 'brother'," Torvio spat. "Regardless, I couldn't help but notice... this surger seemed to be an eternal battle at first glance, regenerating lost parts. Tell me... how is it you've managed to incorporate faux-Lifestream so as to... _meld_ it with the real Lifestream?"

Aeris couldn't believe her ears. "Th-this thing was made up of faux-Lifestream?" she whispered.

"Yes." Saahan cracked his neck, an air of boredom surrounding him. "Faux-Lifestream is comparable to necromancy; it is a twisted mockery of its true form. And yet, it is possible to accept necromantic entities into living society, although the circumstances must be extremely suitable for such coexistence."

"Crimson forced that issue," Torvio snapped.

"And so have I, by that logic. Not the point, though." Saahan waved a hand dismissively. "I didn't _meld_ it, so to speak, but rather-"

A shot rang out as a furious Vincent's intended 'killing blow' went wide, embedding itself in the wall next to the doorframe. "Shut up, and _give _up," he snarled, adjusting his aim. "Whatever it is you're planning, it won't matter. I intend to do what I _should_ have done years and years ago."

Saahan laughed. "You're going to kill me, then. Is that what you're trying to say? And here I thought we were friends..." He gave Vincent a condescending look. "You're still so easy to predict, Valentine. I took Riuni from you, and you turned on-"

Vincent's second shot only missed Saahan by a hair, as the Arva moved his head to the side. "You damned Riuni to a life that isn't worth living!"

"You'd have to take that up with her, you realize. She made the decision to become Arveborne, not me. Just as you made the decision to break her heart. I digress. Killing me won't do you any good; it only compounds the problem."

Vincent's finger twitched on the trigger, but he felt a hand clasp his gently.

Aeris shook her head. "No. Not yet. He has a point; we don't know what his death will mean for us. We don't know what he's planning, either, so..." She looked at Saahan once more. "If you won't tell us _what_ you're planning... can you at least tell us _why_ you're doing what it is you're doing?"

Saahan gave her a surprised look. "Strange... you didn't pick up on it the first day we met? I expected more of you, Ancient... it would seem I was only to be disappointed." He clicked his tongue. "The Cetra of the past were... self-righteous."

"Not this again..." Torvio grumbled. "Yes, Saahan, the Cetra attacked us with little or no provocation. In the end, though, we _united_ against Jenova, and swore a treaty of peace with them."

"Yet it is the fact that they attacked us first that bothers me most. Why ought they be allowed to rest in peace, when they attacked us? They became villains that day, brother, and between the two races, we were the outcasts. _We _were the dangerous ones - us, who could shapeshift and could command power when we so desired. _Us_, who wanted peace with them to begin with." He looked at Aeris. "Your kind... the Cetra were the _true_ dangerous ones, in that their actions were unpredictable... and almost always fatal for us. Yet it is the _Arva_ who were all but erased from history. The Cetra are revered as heroes for sealing Jenova, while the last remnants of the Arva - the same Arva who did the actual _fighting_ against Jenova to keep her off the Cetra - have been all but forgotten."

Aeris pondered this for a moment. "So then... you want to attack the Lifestream to indirectly attack the Cetra... to show them what it means to be attacked for little or no reason."

He chuckled darkly. "No. I do not wish to attack the Cetra themselves; such childish 'you did it first' is pitiful. Rather, I wish to _spite_ the Cetra."

"How?"

"Again, that would be telling." Saahan waved a hand dismissively. "All you need to know is that what you've seen so far... it's not even the _tip_ of the iceberg, as the saying goes. The surger is the _least_ of your worries." He stepped away from the doorframe. "Now, you'll excuse me. I seem to be missing Riuni, as I need an Arveborne for my next step. Luckily, I've managed to secure someone else that is ideal for becoming Arveborne."

Torvio frowned. "Not many know our history, Saahan - which is a key requirement to create Arveborne. Unless you're planning on just driving them mad-"

"I wonder, have there always been _three_ of you coming after me?" he interrupted, turning his head to face them. He wore a triumphant smirk. "It seems to be a rather measly... 'resistance', we'll say."

It took them all a moment to realize what he was getting at. Vincent stood swiftly, Cerberus aimed at Saahan's head. "You didn't," he growled furiously.

"No, not yet. That, however, is prone to change in mere moments." He began walking away, the door closing behind him. He waved a hand over his shoulder. "Don't worry yourself, Valentine; I will take _very_ good care of Miss Kisaragi," he said as the door closed behind him.

* * *

_So hopefully, it makes sense now, but if not..._

_Yes, Yuffie was pulled into the Lifestream by Saahan's faux-Lifestream. She survives the ordeal of being exposed to the Lifestream only because the faux-Lifestream, being the mockery of the Lifestream that it is, cocooned her to keep her safe._

_And now Saahan has her, as the tendril that captured Yuffie re-emerged in the Junon reactor._

_So, it's a day late, but Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2011 is a great year._

_My New Year's resolutions are as follows, as made yesterday:_

_-Do not call other people names (already screwed this up by calling someone at work something VERY nasty yesterday)  
-Improve my drawing ability drastically  
-Make more than two resolutions when 2012 rolls around_

_It's an improvement over last year's resolution, where I resolved to make a REAL resolution at the start of 2011, at any rate._

_I want to improve my drawing ability because I'm frequenting DeviantArt a lot more lately, and it makes me want to draw... I'm just browsing for now, of course; I've tried putting up a couple pieces of written literature, but everything I write is in RTF (Rich Text Format), and I guess it's not supported by dA...? I don't know; I DO know I need to look further into it._

_I'm thinking of bouncing over to FictionPress, as well, and putting up the story I'm working on when I'm NOT writing fanfics. I'm not sure yet. We'll see as time goes on, and if I do, I'll be using the same pen-name as I do here - and if Spiritslayer is mysteriously taken, well... I'm not there yet, so we'll see, like I said._

_I'm only halfway pleased with the way this chapter came out. I like the way it's written, sure... but there's not much in the way of negotiation, and I put emphasis on NEGOTIATE in the 'Next chapter' summary in my last A.N. I just feel bad, knowing I probably misled the readers, however slightly. Luckily, I know EXACTLY how next chapter's going to play out..._

_Next chapter, the trio presses on, intent on saving Yuffie from Saahan. Yet it seems the harder they try to save her, the more difficult the act becomes. As the Arveborne ritual reaches its apex, will Yuffie be lost to everyone - forever? -Spiritslayer_


	15. The Goliath

Vincent slammed a fist to the floor angrily, eyes seeming to flash dangerously. "Dammit!" he seethed.

Aeris watched him for a couple seconds before gathering herself. "H-hang on, Vincent! He hasn't done whatever it is he's planning to do to her, so there's still time!"

Torvio nodded. "Indeed. It takes about ten minutes for the Arveborne ritual to complete. Assuming we leave _now_, Saahan will only get about a minute's headstart on us. Nine minutes is more than enough time to save Yuffie from him, kill him for endangering the planet, and that will be the end of-"

Aeris shook her head. "No, not quite," she said. "There's still... whatever mess he's made. We'll need to clean up after him, too, before we can say this business is done and over with."

"Assuming, of course, that we stop dallying and catch up with Saahan _now_," Torvio added.

Both pairs of eyes fell to Vincent, who was rising slowly. He picked up Cerberus with a violent tug. "Let's go, then; I'd hate to keep that rat bastard waiting," he growled. He strode swiftly toward the door, opening it forcefully. The automated system seemed to overload from the swift opening, as it remained open as he stormed down the corridor.

Aeris watched him for a second. "Torvio... do you think he... I mean, how much do you think he cares for Yuffie?" she asked the Arva.

"Enough to be enraged," Torvio mused. "Does he love her? Difficult, if not impossible, for me to say. I can say with the utmost certainty, however, that they are very good friends. That in itself may explain his burning desire to save her, if nothing else."

She nodded slowly. "That would make... sense, I guess. Vincent, in the short time I knew him... he wasn't very social. Yuffie, on the other hand... well, a friend of ours once said that the only way to keep Yuffie down was to beat her over the head with a stick. She used to be quite the bundle of energy... I wonder just how it is they became such good friends...?"

Torvio indicated the retreating form of Vincent and, without waiting for Aeris, set after him. "The past is the past, Aeris. Let it go; accept the present."

She turned these words over in her mind. "...So true..." she murmured, following Torvio. "Has he tried telling Saahan that, though...?"

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"Brother," Azyr said simply, eyes upon Yuffie's unconscious form. She examined the two tendrils that held the Wutain's wrists together and dangled her in midair.

Saahan turned to face Azyr. "Sister. Come to check up on me, or spell out some message of impending doom?" he asked with a small grin.

"A little of both. You know full well the others are on their way to save their friend. You are outnumbered three to one, and are on the receiving end of a very hostile opposition."

He waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not worried for my life, if that's what you're getting at."

Azyr frowned at him, blue eyes locking with midnight ones. "You ought to be. Nothing is ever certain; given the vision I've had, your end is now-"

He laughed, cutting off her sentence. "Oh, please!" he gasped between breaths. "They struggled with my defenses in an earlier room; there's _no way_ they can kill me in _here_!" For emphasis, he indicated the room in which they were situated.

The pale blue-green glow of the Lifestream below reminded Azyr that they were in the very center of the reactor, and she closed her mouth. "I forgot," was all she said. She turned away from him. "Brother."

"What now?" he sighed.

She looked up at Yuffie's figure once more. "Be careful how freely you allow it to act. Would you really wish for a repeat of Edge?"

He chuckled. "It's fine, sister. Everything's under control." He gave her backside a wink. "_Everything_."

"...I see." She glanced over the railing and examined- "Brother? What is that... crimson vapor?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me you've forgotten how the Arveborne ritual works?"

She whirled to face him, her face wearing an expression of immense disbelief and shock. "But crimson? He went insane over-"

"A thousand years ago, yes. Times change, sister, and so do circumstances. Besides, it's not like it matters-"

"_Saahan_!" they both heard from down the bridge. Both of them faced the direction of the voice.

"Ah, Valentine. So glad you could join me after all; I'd hate for you to miss the moment in which you failed to help your friend," Saahan said, giving him a mocking smile. His eyes flicked to Aeris and Torvio as they appeared, and his smile faltered a little. "Azyr, you ought to go. I can't guarantee your safety if you remain, given the fight that's about to take place."

She seemed ready to argue, but eventually gave in. Her blue aura swirled to the floor, creating a portal beneath her. "Be careful, brother," she said simply, vanishing from view.

Vincent pointed Cerberus at Saahan's head and pulled the trigger without a second thought or another word.

The Arva's left shoulder jerked backward from the impact, and he cried out in pain. "Agh, you are persistent!" he said, clutching his shoulder firmly. "I suppose I should expect that, though."

A second shot from Cerberus was the only response Saahan got. The second shot tore through his right shoulder, causing him to cringe. He eyed Vincent warily as the gunslinger aimed the weapon at Saahan's head. Saahan stared down all three barrels and grinned.

"Do it, then. See the consequences of killing me firsthand," he taunted. "Or are you so afraid of what may happen, Valentine?"

Vincent's finger twitched over the trigger. _He's caused so much hell for many people, and deserves to die... so why can't I kill him yet?_ he thought, furious with himself. "What are you up to, Saahan?" he roared angrily.

"Revenge." The Arva lowered his hand from his shoulder and stepped toward Vincent slowly. "For what you've done to Riuni, for what you're trying to do to Yuffie."

Saahan laughed, eyes flicking to Aeris and Torvio as they entered the scene. "I see. And yet, for your eagerness to make me pay, you seem... hesitant. _Why_ are you hesitating? Haven't I wronged you more than once already?"

"Ggh..." He attempted to force himself to pull the trigger, but found his body unresponsive. "You..."

"Vincent, what are you waiting for?" Aeris exclaimed, watching him in disbelief.

Saahan grinned. "He's afraid of the unknown. He kills me... and then what? What would happen if I _did_ die?"

A deafening roar sounded through the reactor. It terrified Aeris, unnerved Torvio, and made Vincent look around, Cerberus following wherever his eyes traveled. "What is-"

What appeared to be an enormous glob of the Lifestream slammed upon the bridge between Vincent and Saahan. From the glob, five digit-like extensions reached out and attempted to dig into the metal bridge.

Saahan smirked as a second glob identical to the first slammed down upon the bridge behind Aeris and Torvio, making them jump in surprise. "As I told you," he commented as five digits extended from the second glob, "the surger was the _least_ of your worries."

The trio watched, horrified, as an impossibly huge blob rose between both arms. Eyes opened in a manner similar to the surger's own eyes, a mouth was hanging open as a second bellowing roar shook them to their very cores.

"I'm particularly proud of this one," Saahan chuckled, stepping forth to path one of the gargantuan's fingers approvingly. "This is my goliath. Similar in nature to the surger, except not as... mindlessly savage." He walked toward Yuffie's unconscious form as the hand he had touched rose into the air slowly. "Now, you'll all excuse me while I perform a ritual. I trust my goliath friend will keep your hands full."

Vincent was first to regain his composure, and aimed Cerberus at the goliath's head. He emptied Cerberus without hesitation, thinking back to the fight against the surger - and how its head seemed to be the weakness.

Each bullet _dissolved_ upon impact, disheartening Vincent. He reloaded Cerberus and whirled to Torvio. "I'll take care of Saahan! You deal with the goliath!" he shouted.

Torvio hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I will try." He palmed a pair of seeds and allowed them to sprout. One hand was covered in the same razor-sharp claws as the ones he fought the surger with, while the other gripped a handful of vines that appeared to have fangs upon theirs ends. "I guarantee nothing, Valentine; this one is not the same as the surger. It appears to have the same merger of faux-Lifestream and pure Lifestream... but to a further perfection."

"Meaning?"

"It might be able to regenerate no matter _where _we strike. We shall see." Torvio snapped the fanged vines in the goliath's direction - and watched as the vines disintegrated upon impact, as the bullets had. "Or that could happen, and we could be fucked."

Vincent swore angrily, running toward Saahan quickly. "Just... keep it busy, then!"

Torvio resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Easier said than done," he grumbled. He closed his eyes briefly and allowed an amber aura to radiate from him. He stretched out the viny claws and watched the goliath intently.

The hand that had risen earlier went flying at Vincent with exceptional speed. He saw it coming in time, and leapt back to keep it from slamming into him. He watched, horrified, as it _shattered _the section of bridge it punched at. _I don't get it,_ Vincent thought to himself._ It can dissolve anything, yet some things don't dissolve...?_

The goliath's fist traveled in a backhand motion toward Vincent, slamming him square in the chest. He went flying backward a good distance, tumbling upon the bridge until he landed near Torvio and Aeris. The same fist seized one section of the now-broken bridge and _snapped_ it off, furthering the gap between them and Saahan.

Vincent stared at Saahan intently, watched as the Arva's eyes closed. He watched a crimson vapor rise into the air, swirling around the Arva for a moment. It began to rise toward Yuffie's form slowly.

In an act of sheer desperation, Vincent aimed Cerberus at the vapor and, without thinking, opened fire. The bullets flew through the vapor as though they were nothing - but it _did_ seem to irritate both Saahan and the vapor.

Saahan turned his attention to the goliath momentarily. "See what you can do about that irritating gun, yes?" he said shortly.

The goliath was swift to respond, a single tendril flying from a finger. It seized Cerberus and, despite Vincent's attempt at holding onto it, wrenched it from his hand.

Vincent stared in fury as the goliath _broke_ Cerberus in half, dropping the destroyed weapon into the Lifestream below.

"Now, robbed of your only weapon... what will you do?" Saahan said with a smirk. He turned his attention back to Yuffie's form, watched as the crimson vapor drew nearer.

Torvio cursed as his viny claws disintegrated upon contact with the goliath's fist. He took a step back, palming a small handful of seeds. "Valentine!" he shouted, causing one seed to sprout.

Vincent watched it and, in that split-second, grabbed the vine as it traveled over his head. It carried him toward Saahan at a decent speed, and he felt his hope soar.

"Stop the essence if you can!" Torvio shouted, slamming one seed-laden hand into the goliath's incoming punch. He roared in pain, but didn't back down. "It _can _be injured, and even stopped! If it touches the girl, there will be no going back!"

Saahan's laughter sounded as Vincent drew nearer. "Dear, dear... did you truly think that was such a good _idea_?" he mused, indicating Vincent's current situation.

It took Vincent a moment to realize he was traveling across a vast expanse of broken bridge... using a vine... with nothing but pure Lifestream beneath him... and the goliath's disintegrating touch. This last part especially resounded as the goliath's fist flew not at him, but at the vine carrying him across the gap.

_Fuck!_ he thought as the fist severed the vine, causing him to suddenly drop. His eyes flicked to the piece of vine still in his hand, then to the broken bridge and his proximity to it. _Better to try and fail than not try at all_, he thought desperately. He attempted to seize a piece of the shattered bridge with the vine in hand...

He swore loudly as the vine barely missed its mark, and he felt his body start to drop quickly.

Torvio's attention flicked to Vincent, and he glanced at his bloodied hand. He tossed a seed into the air and forced it to sprout, extending the vine toward Vincent quickly.

The distraction, however, was more than enough time for the goliath to smash Torvio, full force, in the chest with a punch. He flew off the bridge, but seized the railing of the bridge with a vine of his own. As he fell down, he looked at the goliath's base - to see it was all but one with the Lifestream below.

Aeris felt completely useless. Her fighting prowess was lacking in comparison to Vincent and Torvio, and ignoring that fact, she was unarmed. She wondered wildly what she could do. Her eyes flew toward Yuffie's form, to the vapor that appeared to be within inches of the unconscious Wutain's body.

A flash of emerald light erupted in that instant. It mysteriously made Aeris feel drowsy, and she heard a cacophony of sounds: the furious bellow of the goliath, Saahan's roar of frustration and annoyance, shattering noises as the bridge beneath her feet was shattered by the goliath's next punch.

Then, she heard, saw and otherwise sensed nothing as she blacked out.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Saahan clutched his stomach, attempting to ignore the blood trickling from a piercing wound. "D-damn it!" he seethed, eyes flicking toward Yuffie - or rather, where she had been. "I was so _close_! What happened? Who was that?" His eyes flicked to the goliath. "Don't just sit there! _Destroy Junon! Do not let them escape!_"

The goliath nodded its enormous head once, before bellowing in fury. The Lifestream below Saahan bubbled fiercely before erupting toward the ceiling of the reactor.

As the goliath followed its master's order, Saahan transformed into his owl form and flew across the gap quickly, intent on following them. _I will not let them get away from me! _he thought angrily._ I'm not even completely sure what happened, but what I do know is that they took her away... robbed me of my next Arveborne!_

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie's eyes opened slowly to the darkness of the night sky overhead. She saw the familiar glow of pale blue-green in the sky-

She bolted upright suddenly, eyes flicking to the source. "Is this Edge?" she blurted.

"Junon," she heard Vincent say. She looked to her right to find her friend sitting next to her, watching her carefully. "We just escaped Junon."

"Judging from your words," she heard Torvio's voice comment casually, "this happened in Edge as well?"

Yuffie's eyes flicked to the direct source - to the enormous crater where Junon had been. Any trace of the military town was vanished, replaced by a huge pool of the Lifestream. _Exactly like Edge..._ she thought, feeling the horror build inside.

"Yuffie, are you alright?" Vincent asked her. "You look like you've just seen-"

"This... this was what I found when I reached Edge," she whispered. "Tifa, Cloud... Denzel, Marlene... they're only four of thirty-six that escaped Edge with their lives. Everyone else..." Her voice trailed.

"And with us escaping Junon, that makes five of us to escape." Aeris walked toward Yuffie and hugged her friend quickly. "I'm glad you're alright..."

Yuffie appeared confused. "Five? But there's four of- wait, did Azyr escape with us?"

"Not Azyr," came a very familiar voice - one that made Yuffie uneasy. She allowed her eyes to move past Vincent, past Torvio... to the emerald-haired woman sitting down upon the grass, to the emerald-eyed woman regarding her with untold amounts of regret in her eyes. "I did."

Yuffie wanted to scream, but settled for standing quickly and pointing at the woman. "_You!_" she exclaimed.

Riuni smiled sadly. "Not who you were expecting, is it...? Well, I can't say I blame-"

Yuffie was running toward the Arveborne, a fist drawn back. "I'll _kill _you!" she shrieked angrily.

To her surprise, Vincent caught her fist. "Yuffie-"

"Back the fuck off, Vince!" Yuffie snapped, wrestling her fist from his grasp. "She doesn't deserve to-"

"_Riuni saved your life!_" Vincent interrupted, his patience worn thin. "_Killing them is an extremely poor way of saying 'thank you'!_"

Yuffie stared at him, then at Riuni. "Wha-" She glared at the Arveborne. "What the _fuck_ is going on here? I thought _you_ were on _Saahan's_ side!"

* * *

_And there you have it. The problem has (if only temporarily) been addressed. But at what cost? Now, both Edge AND Junon have been destroyed by Saahan's goliath - for it was indeed the goliath that destroyed Edge, as well. Add the fact that Cerberus was destroyed and that Torvio is unable to cause much damage to the goliath, and what CAN they do?_

_Destroying Cerberus... I've always wondered how creative Vincent could be, but he's always got a gun of some sort on him. I figured I'd take it away from him for the sake of this story, and see what happened from there._

_So, after a few chapters of absence, Riuni makes a return to the scene - and appears to be on THEIR side now. Has Saahan's control over her been severed? No harm in saying 'yes it has'. He no longer has control over her mind, so she's free to do what she wants to oppress Saahan._

_So I finally broke the horrific lack of sleep I'd gotten over the last five days of work... of course, I slept well past 6 PM on Monday (it's 2 AM Tues right now), so... we'll see what my Tuesday night looks like, before I work tomorrow._

_Keeping it (relatively) brief this time, so..._

_Next chapter, Yuffie has been saved from Saahan's evil plan for her. But her savior is quickly mistrusted, given her past with their foe. Will Riuni be able to prove she can be trusted, or will her newfound alliance with Aeris, Yuffie, Vincent and Torvio be EXTREMELY short-lived? -Spiritslayer_


	16. Trusting A Foe

Riuni sighed wearily, running her fingers through her hair. "I _was_. He had me under his control, so I really had no choice."

"You couldn't _fight_ it?" Yuffie exclaimed, taking another step toward Riuni, her fist rising once more.

Vincent seized Yuffie's fist and her other hand, and pinned both behind her back. "Stop trying to hurt her or worse," he growled.

She glared over her shoulder at him. "You! She _hurt_ you in the past! How can you just sit by while-"

Riuni cast a glance at Torvio. "Brother, can-"

"You are no sister of mine," he said simply, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Let me get one thing straight, Arveborne; I absolutely despise your kind. The Arva whose essence is merged with you was an honorable and respectable Arva in the past; Arveborne are absolutely disgusting to a _true_ Arva, such as myself. Saahan has lost his mind, and sees fit to call you 'sister'. You shall find no such kindness and respect from me."

She searched those amber orbs intently, and when she found no approval there, she hung her head in defeat. "Right..."

Aeris remained silent for a while, ignoring the eyes looking at her. She finally looked up at the eyes staring at her. "Riuni... I acknowledge that Saahan held you under his control for a long time, and that your will wasn't your own..."

Riuni waited for the hammer to fall, and when the silence became too much to bear... "But...?"

Aeris closed her eyes. "With... with us, you're a liability. You're Arveborne; Saahan's dominated your mind once already. If he manages to do it again..." She let her voice trail off.

Riuni's shoulders slumped. "I saved you, Yuffie, from the Arveborne ritual. Vincent, I didn't realize I would be harming you so much."

Vincent simply glared at her while Yuffie snorted. He released Yuffie from his grasp slowly, warily, eyes flicking to the Wutain. "Don't do anything stupid, Yuffie," he warned.

Riuni looked at Torvio, and once words failed her, she looked at Aeris. "I can't just..." she began. "...If I'm alone, he'll reclaim my mind again, with no effort. I need to be-"

Yuffie laughed shortly. "That's rich. She 'needs' to be with us."

Riuni fell silent at the interruption. "...I know what Saahan's ultimately up to, what his plans are for the planet. You four can't do this without me; as an Arveborne, I have skill and precision Torvio lacks as an Arva."

Torvio seemed ready to argue, but reconsidered. "...This... is true," he admitted. "Emerald's abilities, although vastly weakened in... _your_ form," he said, indicating Riuni with disdain, "_are_ very useful. What you lack in power... you make up for with precision..."

Riuni nodded. "Right; you'll need precision to defeat Saahan."

"Transforming into a serpent?" Yuffie exclaimed. "How is _that_ going to help us?"

"Emerald's abilities were collectively known as 'sirensong'," Torvio interjected. "With a simple song, emerald was capable of doing... much. As much as I hate to say it... the Arveborne has my exceptionally reluctant vote..."

Riuni breathed a small sigh of relief at his words. "Thank-"

"Don't you thank me," he said shortly. "I accept this only because we are in need of your skill - if I had the stomach to devour you myself, well... we wouldn't be talking right now, Arveborne."

Aeris looked between them, then to Yuffie and Vincent. "Thoughts, you two?"

"I still say kill her," Yuffie said hotly. "She's tried killing me once; I won't forgive her for that. Besides, if she's dead, Saahan can't overcome her mind again, right?"

Vincent stepped toward Riuni slowly, regarding her intently. "I still hate your decision years ago, Riuni; you betrayed my trust, you supported his insanity willingly in the beginning. No matter how much you oppress him now, that will never change."

She sighed defeatedly. "Then..."

"However..." Vincent stopped a few feet from her. "I... _want_ to believe that what you say now is true. I _want_ to believe you're against Saahan now, through and through. I _want_ to convince myself... that you've seen the error of your decision."

Yuffie looked as though she's just been clobbered over the head.

"I'm warning you now, though," he said in a stern tone. "If you show even a _single_ sign of betrayal or second thoughts to working with us... I will end you myself, Riuni. Am I clear?"

She smiled softly. "Very. Vince, I... thanks."

He simply looked away from her, not acknowledging her words.

Yuffie stared at Aeris in disbelief. "Th-this can't- you can't possibly mean to-"

Aeris met the Wutain's eyes cautiously. "I've made my decision, Yuffie... I'm sorry. Riuni's-"

"Has it occurred to you that maybe, just _maybe_, she's here as a _spy_ for Saahan?" Yuffie snapped angrily. "Or that he _forced _her to act this way? If she was under his control once already, how do we know she's still _not_?"

Silence settled amongst them as they turned this possibility over in their minds.

"My mind's my own again, Yuffie. I swear it on my life," Riuni all but pleaded. "Please..."

Yuffie's right eye began twitching, and she spun around quickly to face away from the Arveborne. "...Ugh! This is so fucking stupid!" she exclaimed. "We're accepting an enemy into our numbers?"

No one responded to her, which didn't help her situation in the slightest. Yuffie heaved a frustrated sigh before storming away.

Vincent watched Yuffie walk away, then looked at Riuni. "You'd best be right about that," he warned, following the Wutain.

Riuni shook her head resignedly. "How can I prove it...?" she murmured to herself.

"You can't prove innocence," Torvio said simply. "Just don't do anything stupid, and we'll be more inclined to believe that 'fact'."

Riuni turned to face Aeris and Torvio. "So... do we have a plan of some sort?"

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"Yuffie, will you slow-"

She stopped altogether and stared at the sky. "Vince, I don't understand you! How could you possibly _advocate_ her?" she shouted, the anger evident in her tone. "I thought you were never going to forgive-"

"No, I'm not going to! That doesn't mean we don't need her help now!" he responded, grasping her shoulder firmly. He held on tighter as she attempted to shake his hand off. "Sometimes, you have to do the lesser of two evils to win! Without Riuni, what chance could we possibly have?"

Yuffie tried to shoot a response back, but found none forthcoming.

"Exactly. None." He turned her around so she was facing him. "I'm not on her side, Yuffie; I still want her dead for-"

"You also 'want' to believe she's really trying to fight Saahan!" Yuffie snapped, glaring at him with an intensity he hadn't seen before. "Which is it, Vince? Are you on her side, or are you just going with it?"

He gritted his teeth. "We have no choice but to go with it! I'm _sorry_ if the idea offends you - we can't do this without Riuni!"

Yuffie's expression slowly changed to one that appeared betrayed. "...I thought we'd finally understood one another, after seven years... yet here we are. Once again, I thought I knew you better than I guess I really do..." She smacked his hand off her shoulder and turned around. "...I want time to myself, Vincent. Just leave me alone."

He recognized the tone of pain in her voice. "I'm sorry, Yuffie, but this is how it has to be for now. Just for a little while, that's-"

"_Vincent!_" she shouted. "Leave me _alone_! Please!"

He watched her for a moment, then closed his eyes and sighed wearily. "...Fine." He turned hesitantly and started to walk away. "...Yuffie-"

"Shut _up!_" she cried, refusing to face him.

He shook his head as he walked back to the others. _Dammit, Yuffie... you're not the only one who's torn up about having to make this decision..._ he thought bitterly.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"_Rule_ the world?" Aeris exclaimed.

Riuni nodded grimly. "By commanding the Lifestream - to be more precise, by manifesting a sizeable chunk of it as that goliath you fought - he wants to assert command over the world. Those who defy him... well..." She gestured to what was once Junon. "...You see the results as he intends them."

Torvio stared at the pool of Lifestream. "Hm... he spites the Cetra by ruling a world they sacrificed their lives to save..." He shrugged. "Seems like a weak reason to me, but then again, he _has_ lost his mind..."

"That goliath is... it's unique, don't worry about that," she said quickly, seeing their disbelieving expressions. "No, it's... defeating it takes a _lot_ of nerve."

"So it _can_ be defeated?" Aeris asked, suddenly hopeful.

Riuni's expression didn't help them any. "It can... but in order to do so, you have to be willing to account for your actions. A 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' scenario."

"Meaning...?" Torvio crossed his arms.

"...To defeat the goliath, you have to realize that it's still one with the Lifestream," Riuni began.

"Yes, I saw that while I was keeping myself from falling into said Lifestream."

Riuni looked at Torvio. "Then you must, by now, realize the price of such a victory..."

His eyes widened slightly as the realization dawned on him. "...I see..." he murmured, tapping his chin. "Very dangerous, Saahan... yet simultaneously, very bold..."

Aeris watched him intently. "Um...?"

"What Riuni's telling us is that, in order to defeat the goliath... we have to be willing to destroy a part of the Lifestream. Completely and utterly destroy it," he added, seeing the horror dawn on Aeris' face. "As it stands, the goliath is one with the Lifestream. We destroy something upon it, it will simply regenerate; thus, our attacks will be negated. What we need to do is hit it with something... sustained, something devastating. This, however, comes at the heaviest of prices; the goliath will undoubtedly attempt to regenerate through the sustained onslaught, which means..."

Aeris covered her mouth with her hands. "No..."

"Yes." Riuni sat down slowly, her legs trembling. "For each section of the goliath that is regenerated, the Lifestream would dwindle by that much. If our sustained assault was too weak... we would inadvertantly destroy the planet. Too strong, and we would destroy more than the goliath itself; we'd likely wipe out an entire section of the planet doing so. The damage to the Lifestream would be minimal in such a scenario, but..."

"It'd be enough to merit second-guessing," Torvio said, finishing her thought.

"What if we just kill him?" they heard Vincent say.

Riuni gave him a soft look. "Yuffie?"

"Wanted time to herself. What if we just kill Saahan?" he repeated, shooting Riuni a glare that made her shrink back a bit.

"If... if we just kill Saahan, the goliath would become unpredictable, and only compound the problem. We would have to worry about random villages, towns and cities being wiped out in its resulting rampage," she explained. "This is because he's... I don't fully understand _how_, as he never told me, but he's managed to give the goliath a mind... a consciousness - one he can control himself."

"And killing him would leave the goliath confused and enraged at being forced into slavery," Torvio said, frowning. "So killing Saahan first is out of the question... which brings us to the goliath's demise."

Aeris shook her head, clearing her mind of the news she'd heard. "W-wait. What if we discovered the method through which the goliath has a mind and consciousness, and removed it from the goliath? Without it, wouldn't the goliath...?"

"Cease to exist?" Riuni finished. She shook her head. "You saw the surger in Junon, no doubt?" When they nodded, she continued. "That's more or less what the goliath would become - except a thousand times more dangerous, given its size and abilities."

"So we're looking at a losing scenario no matter _what_ we do," Aeris whispered in despair.

"I told you these decisions wouldn't be simple," they heard from all around them. They looked around for the source - to find a blue portal open in between all of them. "Leadership, in the battle against Saahan, is painful and single-handedly holds you accountable for countless decisions."

Aeris watched as Azyr rose from the portal. "Why are you helping us?" she asked, frowning. "You help Saahan, as well; whose side are you on?"

"Both, and neither." Azyr offered a slight smile. "My brother is confused, and without guidance, he would inadvertantly annihilate this planet. So yes, I guide him with visions. You, too, are lost - and, just like Saahan, you are confused. Without my guidance, you too would endanger the existence of the entire planet."

Aeris stared at Azyr. "...'I follow midnight's path'..." she whispered, remembering the first time Azyr told her so. "So this is what you-"

Azyr nodded. "My brother was faced with many impossible decisions, as well. The weight of these decisions impacted him at first... but they became easier for him to make as he was forced to make them... and then they became _too_ easy. He started to endanger the lives of others upon mere whims, simply to fulfill the choice he'd deemed best." She lifted a finger slowly and pointed at Aeris. "So far, you've followed that path precisely. Be careful from now own, Ancient, lest these decisions rip your soul in half."

Aeris looked horrified. "...What _should_ I have done, in regards to Edge...?" she asked quietly.

Azyr shrugged. "The fate of Edge's inhabitants was inescapable; the young lady brooding to herself can attest to this fact. There was no correct decision... yet there was no wrong decision, either. Following Saahan may have seemed the most productive action... but you will never know now - nor will I."

Torvio coughed lightly. "You come with another vision, sister?"

Azyr looked at him and nodded gently. "Yes. Midnight's embrace shall claim one among you - and thus, your numbers fall from five to four. Look to your friends more than ever... lest the enemy turn them against you." The portal, which had never vanished, flashed as Azyr began to descend through it. "Farewell, brother. We shall meet again, of that I can assure you."

They watched Azyr vanish, then looked at each other. Each set of eyes ultimately settled upon Riuni.

Riuni rolled her emerald orbs. "Oh, come _on_. You automatically assume it'll be _me_ just because I've already been-"

Aeris frowned. "Well... no offense, but who else could-"

Vincent ran off suddenly, and in that second, they all understood why.

Once again, Yuffie wasn't directly with them.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Saahan watched as they all rushed in Yuffie's direction, his eyes flicking to the one trailing furthest behind. He started to cackle as quietly as he could. "Sometimes, I think Azyr has a perfect sense of timing..." he mused, reaching out to the mind of the one furthest behind.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"Yuffie!"

She rolled her eyes and spun around to face Vincent. "What now?" she snapped angrily.

Vincent grasped her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked without thinking.

"What are you- of _course_ I'm not! I'm still feeling betrayed, so just sto-"

They heard a furious roar of what seemed to be... resistance to something. Once it died down, they heard a crazy laugh above them. "My, how eager you all are to rush to the one all alone..." they heard Saahan muse. "I'd love to stay and chat, but... well, I think we can let _him_ do the talking for me."

They whirled around in time to see what appeared to be waves upon waves of vines come crashing in their direction.

_He got Torvio..._ was Vincent's last thought before the vines slammed into him, knocking him out.

* * *

_Yes, things did just get that much worse._

_Keeping it REAL brief this time..._

_Next chapter, Aeris, Vincent, Yuffie and Riuni find themselves trapped in a massive, floral labyrinth - with dangers hiding around each corner, and each 'dead' end being much more literal than they'd care for. Have they discovered Torvio's truly sadistic side... or is this only scratching the surface of his capacity for madness? -Spiritslayer_


	17. Lost and Found

"Unh..." Riuni's eyes opened slowly as she sat up. "What...?" She looked around quickly. "Aeris? Yuffie?" Her eyes fell after a moment. "Vincent..." She looked up again. "Anyone?" she called out.

"Riuni? Is that you?" she heard Aeris call. Riuni's eyes darted around, searching for the Ancient. "Where are you?"

"I-I don't know!" she called back. "What is this?"

"I think it's a maze!" Aeris called back; the Arveborne could sense the fear and sadness in her voice. "Torvio's mind was taken over by Saahan, and I guess this is what he's doing to... to deal with us!"

Riuni closed her eyes and radiated her emerald aura, hoping that the others would be able to see her aura.

This, however was met by a _very_ violent assault of vines. She focused the aura to her hands and closed them into fists. She began punching the vines away, each impact making her cringe.

A steady, maddening cackle built up with each impact. "Arveborne, Arveborne... how much fun I'll have ripping you limb from limb..." the voice said, chilling her to her core.

"Like... _hell_, Torvio!" she snapped furiously, continually knocking the vines away. Eventually, however, her aura faded from her fists - and in the process, the vines stopped attacking her. She panted for breath, looking around. _Do they respond to my aura, then...?_ she thought to herself. _So much for making myself a beacon to the others..._ "Yuffie! Vincent!" she called out. "Are you two out there?"

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie ignored the Arveborne's barely audible voice. "Screw that bitch; she can die in here for all I care," she snapped.

Vincent gave Yuffie a severe look. "When are you going to realize-"

Her own glare silenced him, and told him endless things about her emotions. "Shut. Up."

"Yuffie, can't you just-"

"_No!_" she shouted. "I won't work with her, not when she can be overcome by Saahan at any-"

Vincent couldn't hold back any longer and smacked her upside the head. "In case you haven't realized, _Torvio_ is the one that was overcome by Saahan's control!" he hissed. "Torvio, an _Arva_! Will you _stop_ obsessing over what Riuni did to _you_? If _I'm_ willing to set that history aside, surely _you_ can!"

Yuffie blinked, though it was more at being smacked upside the head. "Since when do you hit me?" she asked coldly.

"Since when do you hold grudges?" he replied just as coldly. "Now stop being a brat, or I'll just leave you-"

"You wouldn't dare!" she shrieked. "There's no way you'd just abandon me in-"

He started to walk away from her, ignoring her.

"...Yeah, that's right! Make me think you're serious about it!" Yuffie called after him. "And go running back to Riuni; I'm so _sure_ she's willing to take you back before _stabbing you in the back!_" she sniped.

He ignored her still, and soon she was left alone in the small clearing they had found themselves in.

"...Okay, so now what...?" Yuffie sighed to herself. "The only path I see is the one Vince took... I don't want to seem like I'm following him, but..." She started down the path - and stopped abruptly.

The path split into three seperate paths, and made her stomach turn over uneasily. "...Fuck... are we in a maze?" she wondered aloud.

"Wandering alone... how long will you last?" she heard Torvio's voice mock with a cackle.

Yuffie looked around, frowning. "...Dammit all..." she grumbled, picking the middle path at random. "This is bad..."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris leaned against one of the viny walls, sighing. "Torvio... how did Saahan overcome your mind...?" she whispered, closing her eyes. "I always thought you were... well, stronger than..." Her voice trailed. "...Please... give me a sign that you're still capable of resisting..."

A vine slipped into her hand, causing her eyes to open quickly. She looked down at it as the tip radiated-

"Amber...? Torvio, is this your..." She watched as the vine snaked amongst the rest of the vines, and followed it intently. "I knew it... you're trying to resist him..." She smiled softly. "Help me find... you."

The amber glow was faint within the wall, but it traveled down the wall. She watched it carefully - ignoring the vines blocking off the path behind her as she walked.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Riuni sighed, hands on her hips as she regarded two alternate paths before her. "Great..." She cast her emerald eyes down one path, and then down the other. "I've always hated mazes..."

She heard a rustling noise to her left, and whirled to face the source.

She wasn't really expecting to see Yuffie burst into the open, her eyes bulging as she glared at Riuni. "You..." Yuffie growled.

Riuni rolled her eyes. "Yuffie, can't we set this hatred aside for just one moment? We can settle this _after_ we've escaped Torvio's maze. It's not going to do us any good to fight while we're stuck in here."

Yuffie's hands clenched into fists. "Y-you little..." she grumbled.

Riuni waved a hand dismissively over her shoulder. "Later, I said," was all Riuni said as she started to walk down the path to her right.

Yuffie reluctantly followed Riuni. "Fine..."

They walked in silence for a time, taking random guesses as to which direction they needed to go.

"Where's Vincent? Do you-"

Yuffie growled. "Why do you care? You hurt him so much in the past, I can't even-" She fought the urge to slap Riuni. "You don't deserve to know!"

Riuni stopped and faced Yuffie. "Be that as it may," she said with a hint of regret in her voice, "I still want to work with him and deal with the problem at hand. Whatever you two have between you... I'm not going to get in the way; I promise."

"'Whatever we have betwe-'" Yuffie sputtered. "We're just _friends_!" she exclaimed. "I don't _love_ him, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't love _me_, either!"

Riuni chuckled quietly. "Seems like I struck a nerve there, huh...? Sorry; I shouldn't have presumed..." She turned away from Yuffie and continued down their present path. "Yuffie..."

"What?" she snapped shortly.

"About... us. Is there any way I can... well, you know..." Riuni glanced over her shoulder. "Apologize in a _convincing_ manner?"

"Why would you apologize if Saahan had control-"

"Because you refuse to believe that's a possibility, so I have to work around that." Riuni's response had an unexpected barb that stung Yuffie and made the Wutain stop in her tracks. "I _know_ what happened, Yuffie; he had control of me, and I was freed at some point. You won't believe that, though, so what else am I _supposed_ to say?"

Yuffie couldn't find the words to respond.

"Do you _want_ me to say he still controls my mind? Do you want me to blatantly _lie_?" Riuni faced forward once more and kept walking. "Or do you want the truth, so you can ignore it?"

The Wutain closed her eyes. "...Look, if you say..." she began uneasily. "...I guess... I guess I just didn't know what to believe, given the situation, and..." She sighed. "...I'm sorry, Riuni, for... for being a complete bitch."

Riuni paused long enough to look at Yuffie with her emerald eyes. She smiled in a way that made Yuffie feel even more guilty. "It's fine. In a way, I guess I deserved it; I allowed myself to be overcome by Saahan's control in the first place, so..."

Yuffie grinned weakly. "I'm never forgiving you for trying to squeeze me to death; you _realize_ this?"

Riuni laughed a little. "No, I'd expect no less..." She looked at Yuffie once more. "So... allies, if not friends?"

Yuffie gave a small shrug. "Allies for now; friends will take a lot longer, Riuni."

"That will suffice." The pair felt their tension start to fade away completely from there on. "So, where is Vincent?"

Yuffie shrugged again. "He and I argued for a bit, then he left me behind. I found myself at a series of three paths, and... well, I guess I took the wrong one to try and catch up with Vincent."

"And Aeris?"

"No idea. I haven't seen her yet." Yuffie shivered. "Am I the only one who feels like... who feels like it just got a thousand degrees colder in here?"

Riuni frowned, eyes scanning for a clearing. "I guess so; I feel fine..." She looked at Yuffie momentarily before finding a clearing, and she grasped Yuffie's wrist in her hand, half-dragging, half-leading the Wutain to it. "What are you going on abo-"

A bud erupted from the ground behind them and opened to reveal what appeared to be rows and rows of fangs comprised of icicles. It snapped angrily at both of them, causing them to back away from it.

"What the _fuck_ is this?" Yuffie said, shivering a little.

"I-I don't know; it must be something Torvio's been hiding for..." Her voice trailed. "...We need to run! I can't fight in this maze without being swamped by vines!"

As though to spite her words, the bud sent vines flying past them to seal off all escape points before lifting itself off the leafy 'floor'. It revealed a mass of tentacles that served as feet, similar to a-

"Is that a malboro variant?" Yuffie asked in disbelief. "Oh, Leviathan... I don't think we're anywhere _near_ equipped to fight this thing..."

Riuni watched the monster move toward them before casting her eyes about quickly. "We have no choice; we break through one of these walls!" she said quickly. "It's either that, or be eaten by this!"

Yuffie looked at one of the aforementioned walls, and frowned. "I don't know about-"

Riuni released Yuffie's wrist and rammed her shoulder against the nearest section of viny wall.

"W-wait!" Yuffie protested. "What if-"

The vines Riuni slammed into wound around her and held her in place. The monster started to advance toward Riuni.

"...What if _that_ happens...?" Yuffie muttered to herself. "For the greater love of..." She ran toward the monster quickly and leapt into the air, attempting to land on its head and provide some sort of distraction while Riuni freed herself.

Riuni struggled with the vines, groaning in despair. "Dammit..." she whispered. "_Vincent!_" she called out, desperate for any help.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Saahan watched the entire scene from a good distance in the sky, Torvio next to him. He wore an amused expression on his face. "I should've done this _centuries_ ago," he mused. "I missed out on some fun moments..."

Torvio's expression contorted to one that seemed to borderline defiance and sadistic glee. "They shall... shall..." His words faltered as his subconscious fought against Saahan's control.

"Shall what, hm?" Saahan looked at his fellow Arva.

"...Win," Saahan said through gritted teeth.

Saahan laughed, slamming his hand on Torvio's back, winding him - and weakening his mind sufficiently to reassert his control over it. "What a buzzkill you are; this is just getting fun!"

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Riuni felt the vines fall slack for a moment, and wasted no time breaking free with the opportunity she was given. Her eyes flicked to Yuffie, who was constantly on the move to keep the monster confused.

_...Maybe I can..._ Riuni ran towards the monster, eyes on one of the frozen fangs. She reached out for one, hoping to seize it and rip it free from the monster's mouth.

The second she grabbed one, however, she felt it jerk its head back, and watched in horror as it clamped down on her arm. She screamed in pain as one of the sharp fangs impaled her arm. She watched the mouth open again, and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch the arm come off-

She heard a deathly screech from the monster, however, as _something_ struck it. She listened to the beating for a while before daring to open her eyes.

A violet beast was shredding the monster with its bestial claws, flames dancing at the beast's maw. It roared before blasting the monster's shredded remains with flame.

Riuni simply watched, stunned. "Wh-what the...?" she murmured, falling to her knees. She grabbed the frozen fang that had come free during the onslaught and pulled it from her arm slowly, carefully. She cried out in pain as it _did_ come free, and she grabbed her arm firmly, doing her best to apply pressure.

Yuffie grinned a little despite herself. "Nice timing, Vince."

Riuni watched in disbelief as the violet beast did indeed contort and transform into the Vincent Valentine she had only recently become reacquainted with. "V-Vincent...? But I thought you said, years ago, that-"

"I didn't _choose_ to become a monster," he snapped, looking at Riuni. He noted her injury, and his expression softened ever so slightly. "This was forced on me - unlike you, who _chose_ to become a monster."

She stared at her injury for a moment. "...I'm sorry..."

Vincent and Yuffie surprised each other by saying "Don't be." Yuffie gave him a suspicious look while he gave Yuffie a relatively confused one.

Riuni looked up at them after a moment. "You two, go. I-I'll only slow you two dow-"

Yuffie stepped forward and, without warning, picked Riuni up and slung her over her shoulder. The Wutain staggered under the added weight. "Damn, you're... heavier... than you... look..." she gasped.

Vincent stepped forward, but Yuffie shook her head. "N-no, I've got her... if we have to... fight again... that's all you, Vince... I don't have a weapon... but you have your forms..."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "No offense, Yuffie, but I'm more worried about you dumping her off somewhere, just because it'd be more 'convenient'."

"Look, just _trust_ me on... this, alright? I've got Riuni, so just... give it up. Let's go..." She adjusted Riuni until the Arveborne was practically riding Yuffie's back. "Did I already mention... you're heavy?"

Riuni chuckled weakly. "I think so..."

Vincent watched them warily, but shrugged it off. "We need to find Aeris, and then get out of here - wherever 'out' is."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris felt her heart plummet as she found herself facing a dead end - and when she turned around to face the direction from which she'd come, she found her path blocked.

She had allowed the amber-tipped vine - which was now flying through the air, as though to mock her - to guide her into what seemed to be a trap.

She fell to her knees, a feeling of defeat washing over her. "Torvio..." she whispered.

"Ancient... here you shall remain for all eternity," Torvio's voice said, cackling at her. "Lost, alone, trapped... helpless. Just as you've always been..."

"N-no!" she cried. "I-I have- the others, they-"

"The leadership mantle is _yours_, Ancient, yet you can do nothing yourself..." His voice seemed to echo all around her, making her shiver. "You, the leader, rely too heavily on the aid of others."

"They _guide _me!" she protested, eyes looking around for the source of the voice. "They-"

"They make your decisions for you," he laughed. "You are a 'puppet ruler', as it goes... and there is nothing you can do about it, except despair."

"I can lead!" she exclaimed. "I-I just... it's these decisions that-"

"A leader making excuses for her inability to decide things for herself? Pathetic."

A rustling noise in the vines next to her made her jump.

"You may as well just die," he cackled.

The rustling noise intensified as _something_ burst out of the viny wall, causing Aeris to scream.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

The others heard the scream, and Yuffie stopped dead in her tracks. "Aeris..." she whispered.

Vincent looked in the direction the scream had come from. "That wasn't very far from here..." he murmured. "Come on! We need to tear through these walls so we can-"

Riuni coughed weakly. "W-won't work... they snare you if you try to break through by force... I would know..."

They listened as the scream cut off abruptly - _too_ abruptly.

Yuffie shivered in fear. "By Leviathan, I hope she's not..."

"She'll be fine," Vincent said, his trembling voice betraying the confidence with which he said it. "She'll be alright. We just need to find her, that's all."

"One falls," a mocking voice said behind them. They whirled around to see Saahan standing behind them, smirking. "And I thought you four would pull through together..."

Vincent ran toward the Arva without thinking, raising his gauntleted hand as he ran. The sharp tips slashed through nothing, making him curse. "You cowardly bastard!" he snarled, whirling to face the illusion. "I'll-"

"Rip me to shreds, make me pay for my crimes, other similar drivel?" Saahan said, the illusion turning to face him as it reformed. "Ignoring the fact that you can't harm me like that... are you so sure you want to kill me?"

Vincent glared at the illusion. "Now, more than ever. The next time I see you, I swear I'll-"

Saahan laughed. "Provided you can escape, that is. And even if you _do_ escape, will you be in time, I wonder? Can you escape fast enough to stop me? Can you escape at all, for that matter?"

Vincent watched as the illusion vanished from view, a final mocking laugh ringing in his ears. "...Fuck you, Saahan!" he shouted angrily. He spun around. "Come on, I'll rip-"

He found himself staring at a viny wall instead of Yuffie and Riuni. He clenched his hands into fists. "I'll rip his beating heart out of his chest with my bare hands if I have to; he will _suffer_ for this," he seethed.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie groaned. "Damn it all... why is this maze changing? Is it just to irritate us?" she asked, adjusting Riuni's weight on her back.

"Possibly. Or maybe it's changing so much because they want to keep us in here forever," Riuni responded weakly. "Which would suggest we... we're probably closer to the exit than we think..."

"Or maybe they're trying to make us think that...? No, we can't think that far ahead..." Yuffie murmured. "...Hey, can I set you down? My back's killing me..."

Riuni examined her arm to see if it was still bleeding profusely. She pondered it for a moment. "Yeah. I'll probably be fine. The bleeding's stopped, so I don't have to worry much about dying of blood loss..."

Yuffie immediately dropped to her knees, allowing Riuni's feet to touch the ground beneath her. "Oh, thank Leviathan..." she murmured with a sigh of relief. "You've _got_ to weigh more than I do..."

Riuni gave a small 'hmph', grasping her injury firmly. "So now what? We're cut off from Vincent, and neither of us is in any sort of condition to fight... we need to reach Aeris quick, before she _is _lost to us..."

"She's still-" Yuffie began, eyes widening.

"Yes, she's still alive. Barely, but she's holding on as best she can. We need to find her, though, or it won't matter."

"But where do we go? The path to her was cut off by this wall," Yuffie grumbled.

"It might've been the path to her," Riuni amended. "It could have led to a dead end, don't forget; just because she's in that direction, that doesn't mean-"

"I get it, I get it..." Yuffie looked around for alternate paths. "There are... two other paths we can take."

"Well, pick one," Riuni said, looking at the Wutain.

"What? Why me?" she protested. "I'm not anywhere near ready to-"

Riuni smiled softly. "Consider it practice for when you're expected to take over ruling Wutai. So go on, Miss 'Future Leader'."

Yuffie gave Riuni an ugly look. "...Fine, this way," she said, pointing to the path to her right.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Aeris could feel her strength fading at a rapid pace, and closed her eyes. _I'm... finished_, she thought to herself.

The monster that had leapt out of the bushes had eight fanged vines buried in her - vines that were glowing steadily as they seemed to be...

_Is this what it's like for a devourer to... devour someone?_ she thought to herself with a slight hint of curiosity. _And am I... no, who am I kidding...? Of course I'm being devoured by Torvio..._

She allowed herself a weak smile. _I guess this was my fate in the end, anyway... why am I so upset by it...?_

She tried to groan in pain, but found the strength to do so had already left her. _...I'm sorry, everyone... in the end, I guess this... this is all I am after all..._

Everything went black before her as the fanged vines dug deeper.

* * *

_A little peacemaking between Yuffie and Riuni... a bit of irritation for all of them... and the end for Aeris? What happens now?_

_You shall find out._

_I think the holidays are officially over now; it's back to the same ol' 'grind' at work, as opposed to 'overwhelmed by multiple things at the same damn time'. I won't miss the holidays; I prefer the standard 'lull' of work outside of the holidays._

_There was something else I really wanted to mention, but I can't remember now... bah, it probably wasn't important, then._

_Next chapter, the labyrinth inexplicably starts to deteriorate, providing those trapped inside with a glimmer of hope. But when they discover the 'exit', are they able to take the final step to escape Torvio's labyrinth? Or will their hesitation put them back where they started? -Spiritslayer_


	18. Breaking the Maze

Yuffie paused as she watched the walls seem to tremble. "Riuni, I don't like this..."

"What's wrong?" the Arveborne asked, looking at Yuffie's backside.

"The walls... they're rustling. The last time they rustled-"

"Yeah, we got attacked." Riuni was nursing an injury on her left thigh from the aforementioned attack. It wasn't serious, but it was enough to make her limp. They had barely escaped the monster, being in no true condition to fight.

Yuffie looked at the wall, studying it. "We can't run - not with your leg like..." She turned to face Riuni quickly. "And I can't carry you _and_ run..."

Riuni groaned. "This maze is slowly killing us. I had no idea Torvio had so many plants and the like at his disposal..."

Yuffie nodded grimly, continuing to walk forward. "I didn't even know some of these things _existed_..." Her thoughts flicked back to the malboro variant, her loathing of the creature showing on her face.

They stopped at another fork in the path they'd chosen. "Right?" Riuni offered.

"No, left." Yuffie shrugged. "I have no idea which way, so I'm just guessing..."

"Comforting." They started walking down the left path. "I wonder just how _huge_ this maze is...?" Riuni murmured.

"I have no idea." Yuffie's eyes were watching the walls intently.

"Do you think we'll ever get out?" Riuni asked, eyes glancing behind them periodically.

"I have no idea."

Riuni sighed. "If I asked Vincent to do something personal with me, do you think he would?"

"I have n-" Yuffie stopped short and whirled to glare at Riuni. "I see what you did there..."

The Arveborne laughed a little. "Sorry, I had to make sure you were paying attention, at least a _little_..."

The wall to Riuni's right rustled violently, startling both of them. "Damn it all to..." Yuffie grumbled.

The wall parted without warning, causing both women to squeeze their eyes closed in unmasked fear.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't expecting to find herself staring at a familiar black outfit, a red cloak fluttering in the edge of her vision. "V-Vincent...?"

He looked down at her, catching her eyes briefly. "You're awake," he said with a small smile. "And, more to the point, alive."

Aeris tried to move, but found herself unable to. "Wh-why can't I move...?" she murmured.

"I imagine you were drained, so what energy you have left is being used to recover." Vincent shrugged lightly - a motion Aeris felt. This made her realize she was in Vincent's arms.

"H-how did you find...? I was... in an enclosed..."

"An entire section of wall collapsed next to me, and I saw you. Those vines were... I don't know what, exactly, but they had fangs, so I can take a guess as to what they were _trying_ to do."

She closed her eyes. "So... tired..." she mumbled.

"Rest. You're in safe hands." After Aeris appeared to fall unconscious again, Vincent heaved a sigh. "...Inside Torvio's maze, Aeris nearly died... yet when she was close to gone, an entire section of wall gives way so I can save her...? Is Torvio somehow...?"

She coughed lightly, turning his attention to her briefly. "It... it's possible..." she said quietly. "T-Torvio's controlling parts... of the maze, I think... what you're suggesting is that... when his friend was in trouble... he was able to help indirectly..."

"...Is this entire maze an extension of Torvio, then?" Vincent concentrated as he looked up at the path before him again. "That would mean..."

"No, Vincent..." Aeris coughed, the sound pained in Vincent's ears. "We can't-"

"We don't have much other choice, Aeris..." Vincent looked at the end of the path - and at the three paths splitting from it. "We're stuck in here, and he seems to have a direct connection to the maze. We'll see what other options we have once we find Yuffie and Riuni, but right now, that's the only option I see..."

Aeris sighed wearily. "I hope there is... another way out..."

Vincent tensed as he heard the viny walls down the path to his left rustle. He watched it intently, ready to act.

He relaxed substantially when he saw Yuffie and Riuni both run into view, and knew immediately what the rustling noise must have been - Riuni's hand was on the wall. He wondered, briefly, why this was.

Yuffie's eyes bulged. "Vince! Aeris!" She glanced behind her and, satisfied to see they weren't being followed any longer, turned to face him again. "You're both alright!"

Riuni winced as she came to a stop, her free hand shooting to her injured thigh. "Not quite..." she gasped, the pain catching up with her all at once. "Look at... her."

It was then that the Wutain realized Aeris was in Vincent's arms - which told her one of two things, and she immediately dismissed the most unlikely scenario. "What happened to her?" she asked tentatively.

"She was being attacked when I found her. As far as I could tell, she was almost dead. Again." He shrugged. "It looked like it was trying to eat her-"

"It was..." she murmured quietly. "Torvio, he's... a devourer..."

"A what?" all three asked simultaneously.

Aeris barely shook her head. "N-no, I forgot... I promised to keep that a secret..."

They gave her doubtful looks, but Vincent dismissed it after a while. "Well, now that we're all united again... Aeris and I have a guess as to how we can escape, but first we wanted to lay out the facts." He looked at the Ancient. "Do you want to explain?"

She nodded softly. "I think... we all know this by now, but... this maze is controlled, at least in parts... by Torvio's conscious. His conscious is... presently under Saahan's control..."

Yuffie frowned. "Meaning...?"

"When I found Aeris, she was being attacked. However, I had no idea she was anywhere near me until the wall seperating us crumbled away. Aeris thinks - and I'm inclined to agree - that Torvio's _subconscious_ wanted to save his friend from an otherwise imminent death."

"What does this have to do with us escaping?" Yuffie asked.

"Everything." Vincent met her eyes - and she could sense he was arguing with himself about something. "This maze is, one way or another, controlled in its entirety by Torvio. This was confirmed by the fact that an entire wall seperated us when an illusion of Saahan appeared, remember?"

Yuffie nodded, while Riuni gasped. "He created that wall to seperate us... and you're suggesting that his own defeat would-"

"Not a simple defeat," Vincent said grimly. "His death. Otherwise, we would just be stuck in an inanimate maze. I doubt there's a true exit to this maze, so we can't just 'defeat' Torvio."

Aeris attempted to stand, but gave up once she found she had no strength to do so. "Vincent is... convinced it's the only way out, but... what do you two think...?"

Yuffie shrugged. "I don't see any other way out, either. If the exit is truly through Torvio, then I say we just accept the impending loss... Saahan needs to be stopped, above all else; we can't forget that."

Vincent nodded while Aeris closed her eyes. "Riuni?"

"If Torvio dies, we lose the only Arva _truly_ on our side." Riuni shook her head. "We'll only have Azyr and Saahan as the last remaining Arva on Gaia, and myself as... well, as far as I can tell, I'd be the only Arveborne left; Saahan never mentioned other Arveborne, but... I digress. We lose Torvio, we lose our only... trump. We shouldn't kill him if we can help it..."

Vincent looked between them, then looked at Aeris. "It's your decision, Aeris."

Aeris thought back to what Torvio said to her, and shivered - causing him to give her a look of concern. "I can't..." she whispered. "I can't make this decision..."

He sighed. "You have to; you're leading us, aren't you?"

"I'm not meant to..." she murmured. "I shouldn't be leading, not when..." She continued to shiver. "I'm useless..."

"Aeris, you're not useless-" Yuffie began.

"What have I done since... since we all united?" Aeris interrupted, eyes opening and flicking to Yuffie. "How have I contributed... to the fights we've all been in by now?"

Silence settled amongst them.

"...We kill Torvio," Yuffie said quietly. "If you can't make this decision, I will."

Aeris closed her eyes again, not saying anything.

"Where is he?" Yuffie asked, looking at each of them.

Vincent shrugged lightly. "No clue. He could be anywhere."

Yuffie took the continued silence from Aeris to mean the Ancient didn't know either, so she looked at Riuni - who avoided her eyes. "You know."

Riuni glanced at Yuffie, then reluctantly nodded. "...Yes. His aura, I can sense it..."

The viny walls immediately around them collapsed, making them all jump in surprise.

"Where?"

Riuni looked upwards. "Above us."

It took them all a few moments to realize that the maze was actually encased in an emormous dome of plant life - and that there was a bundle of branches that appeared to be acting as a floor.

"No way up, but..." Vincent watched a small bundle of vines as they rose from the ground - almost invitingly. "It looks like Torvio's realized this is the only course..."

Yuffie glanced at Aeris and tried to ignore the pained look on her friend's face. When she saw a tear fall from her eye, however, Yuffie sighed. "We have no other choice, Aeris... it has to happen, or we'll be stuck in this maze forever - which, considering the dangers we've faced so far..." Her voice trailed.

Aeris remained still. "I understand..." she said flatly.

As they stepped upon the platform the vines had spread out into, however, Yuffie realized that the tone in Aeris' voice understood - but didn't approve in the slightest. _A reversal, considering Edge..._ she thought for a moment.

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Saahan frowned as the 'door' parted swiftly. "Damn. I'd thought to have a little more fun at your expense before I executed all of you," he muttered, turning to face Vincent. "Well, it would appear the entertainment comes in a different form, then."

Vincent shot Saahan a very sharp look. "We're not here for you this time, Saahan - but it _will_ happen soon enough, trust me." He looked at form of Torvio, who had turned to face Vincent as well. "The 'exit' is through _him_."

Saahan grinned. "So you'd kill your ally just to free yourselves?"

Torvio laughed, the sound hollow. "You threaten me in my own domain, where everything answers to me? Blathering fool."

Vincent stepped forward quickly, his pace slowing after a moment. He gradually came to a stop less than two yards away from Torvio.

Riuni, who was carrying Aeris on her back, sighed. "We made the decision, Vince... what's wrong now?"

Vincent didn't respond, his eyes peering into Torvio's.

The Arva was begging Vincent to wait a moment longer, and Vincent felt... as though it were the _right_ thing to do.

Saahan smirked. "You seem to have a problem with killing others, Valentine. It's amusing, when you consider how frequently you say you're _going_ to kill another."

Vincent let his eyes move to Saahan. "I _could_ just kill you, and end the problem once and for-"

"Oh, this drivel again," Saahan chuckled. "You _wouldn't_, not when you have the consequences to face. Killing Torvio is your only way out, Valentine."

Yuffie stepped past Riuni, a low growl escaping her. "Vince, what are you waiting for? Come _on_, we need to get out! That's probably an illusion of Saahan anyway; don't pay it any mind!"

Saahan stepped toward the nearest wall and tugged a vine from it gently. He indicated the thorns on the vine he'd grasped, and squeezed the vine firmly. He winced and released the vine - to show a very faint drop of blood forming on his palm. "I think you will find I am quite real," he mused, flicking his hand toward the wall. A drop of blood landed upon the viny wall. "Now, your option is actually very clear. Either kill Torvio, or be sent back to the ma-"

His words stopped short, however, and his evident mirth vanished instantly. His eyes bulged in surprise and possibly horror, and he looked down at his chest.

Everyone stared as a single vine burst through Saahan's heart, an unmistakable fang resting upon the tip of it.

"H-how in _hell_ did you...?" Saahan gasped, staggering backward as the fanged tip doubled back upon itself and pierced his heart a second time.

Torvio clutched his head firmly, shuddering. "Trust me, Saahan... sometimes, being arrogant is counterproductive to your mind control. I'd been waiting for that opening for... I have no idea how long. Luckily, Valentine here recognized the look in my eyes when he was coming for me," he added with a brief grin, nodding to Vincent.

Vincent strode toward Saahan, watched as blood started to pour from the Arva's mouth. "Torvio, what are the odds he'll survive?"

"Non-existent." Torvio laughed lightly. "I guess I was too hasty in choosing my target; I meant to incapacitate him, not fatally wound him."

Vincent nodded once, raising his gauntleted hand slowly. "Well, I think we both know what that means, don't we?"

Saahan chuckled darkly. "Somehow... fitting... that my end... be at... _your_ hand..." he rasped, hands trying in vain to staunch the bleeding.

Vincent flexed his fingers once - before driving them through Saahan's stomach fiercely.

Saahan gave the weakest laugh he could manage. "Fare... well..." he gasped with his final breath. His body fell slump around Vincent's gauntlet, illuminated by the morning sun as Torvio began to dismantle the maze.

Yuffie, Riuni and Aeris stared in disbelief. "...But if he's dead, then who's going to control the goliath?" Riuni finally exclaimed.

To their horror, Torvio sighed and shrugged. "No one, I guess... like I said, I didn't mean to fatally wound him. Still, given the fact that he was controlling my mind, I should be lucky I managed to hit him _at all_. Even weakening him would've freed my mind up just enough to break down the maze."

"So then... Gaia's in trouble?" Yuffie whispered.

He nodded grimly as Vincent ripped his hand from Saahan's lifeless corpse. "That it is - and 'in trouble' is putting it lightly, at that... suffice to say, by freeing myself from his control... I may well have damned the planet, or a grand part of it. But let's face it... without me, your odds of success were next to none. At the very least, I'm still here... and thus, we can figure something out with the goliath."

* * *

_Well, that's ONE way out of the Torvio's maze - although not the most PREFERABLE. What does Saahan's death mean for all Gaia?_

_Next chapter, reunited with their fifth, they begin to assess the situation, and begin a desperate race against the goliath to determine the fate of Gaia. When confronted by the freed and rampaging goliath directly, will they lose more than hope? -Spiritslayer_


	19. Unexpected

Yuffie stared at the 'cinderblossom' Torvio had produced to create a fire upon the ground. Night had finally arrived, and she was battling with herself over, in her opinion, the most obvious - and yet most difficult - decision.

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They had been discussing various paths to overcoming the goliath, in ways that wouldn't endanger the planet. To that end, however, they were unsuccessful; they simply didn't know enough about it to defeat it.

Torvio rubbed his temples, heaving a sigh. "We can't just destroy it outright. Not only would the planet suffer for it, but I don't think we even _have_ the ability to destroy the goliath. Any attempt to destroy it would ultimately devastate the planet."

Aeris, who had recovered most of her strength, nodded in agreement. "He's right. I can't think of anything that would-"

"Holy?" Yuffie offered.

The Ancient shook her head. "I don't know where exactly the White Materia is, Yuffie. Besides, Holy was intended to stop Meteor, to 'save the planet'. The goliath is... well, it's made of Lifestream, so in effect, the goliath _is_ the planet. If the planet is threatening itself, so to speak... will Holy even be _able_ to stop it?"

Riuni stared into the distance. "...Vince."

He looked at her for a moment. "What?"

"What about you? Can't one of your... one of your monsters perform some sort of...?" She shrugged lightly. "..._Anything_?"

"Something that will affect the goliath, you mean?" he asked. "No; the only one who was even remotely capable of something like that would've been Chaos, and he's no longer-"

"Part of you," Yuffie finished. "So Chaos is instantly out."

"And any manner of summons wouldn't be sufficient enough, either," Torvio murmured. "When the knowledge of the Cetra become materia, it essentially becomes reminiscent of a single drop in the vast river that is the Stream itself. No summon would be powerful enough, given the problem with which we are contending."

"Would _every_ summon combined do the trick?" Yuffie said suddenly. "One summon, no, but all of them-"

To their dismay, he shook his head. "The time it'd take to call upon each summon would give the goliath more than enough time to regenerate itself after the previous attack - counterproductive, considering our goal."

Aeris looked at him. "Couldn't you... you know..." Her voice trailed, although the expression on her face seemed to tell him something the others didn't know about.

He snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. Given the size of the goliath, and the fact that it's linked to the Lifestream, I would _die_ just trying that."

"Trying what?" Yuffie asked, a small frown forming on her face.

"It's unimportant," Torvio said dismissively. "Don't push it."

Yuffie opened her mouth to protest, but Aeris gave her a stern look. "It's fine, Yuffie. If he says it won't work, it doesn't matter what it is, does it?"

"But-"

Aeris looked back at Torvio. "Don't we have _any_ methods?"

To their surprise, Riuni responded. "We have... well, not a _direct_ method, but it's still a start..."

Torvio raised an eyebrow. "And what would you be suggesting, Arveborne? I don't see-" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "No. Absolutely _not_. I _refuse_ to do such a thing."

"Torvio, we have no other choice!" Riuni snapped, her patience wearing thin. "We don't know enough about the goliath, right? So what harm is there in-"

"What harm is there? _You know full well what harm could come of that!_" he roared.

Riuni's mouth opened and closed silently.

"...Um-" Yuffie began.

The severe look Torvio shot her silenced her. "I will not speak of it, as it is a ridiculously stupid idea. You'd do well _not_ to press the matter."

Riuni looked at Yuffie. "I _was_ referring to Arveborne. Myself, I'm an Arveborne, what power I possess granted to me by the emerald Arva. Saahan was going to make you into an Arveborne by infusing you with the essence of the crimson Arva-"

"A damned fool, both of them," Torvio muttered.

"-so my logic was this: why not create a... _midnight_ Arveborne?"

Everyone stared at her in disbelief, although Torvio simply glared at her, venom in his eyes.

"I mean, when an Arveborne is created, they retain some, if not all, of the memories of the Arva. For example, I remember that the emerald Arva was an extremely close friend of Torvio's," she added, glancing at him. "So, bearing that in mind, who knows the most about the goliath? Saahan did. Who was an Arva? Saahan. Whose essence can we bring back as an Arveborne?"

"Saahan," Yuffie murmured.

Riuni nodded. "From the midnight Arveborne, we can learn what Saahan knew of the goliath, and from there, we can use that knowledge to stop it."

Torvio snorted derisively. "I will _not_ create an Arveborne simply for the sake of knowledge," he snapped.

"...You don't have to," Riuni said quietly. "Arveborne can create other Arveborne too, although it requires outside help, as well."

He stared at her hard, then simply stormed off.

Aeris watched him go, then started after him, offering no comment of her own. Her expression, however, showed she was quite conflicted.

Riuni closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. "Well, it's a _start_, at any rate..." she murmured. "Even if we don't use _that_ method in particular... we can still think of something based _off_ that, right...?"

Vincent watched her for a while. "You said the Arveborne ritual, as performed by another Arveborne, required 'outside help'. What does that mean, exactly?"

"It means," they heard a voice say from a blue portal that appeared in the ground between them, "that there must be another willing to sacrifice their strength in order to help." Azyr rose from the portal, a disapproving look on her face - her eyes affixed on Riuni. "You are right, Arveborne; the idea of bringing midnight's essence and memories back as Arveborne _will_ provide more ideas. The idea of doing it, however, is foolish, and will damn the planet that much faster. It's not worth the risk involved."

"How else can we learn more about the goliath? We don't know if it has a weakness, yet even the most godlike entity can be killed," Riuni countered. "I don't like the idea either, but we have no other choice. Only Saahan knew anything about the goliath he either created or summoned - hell, we don't even know _what_ it is, for that matter. Is it a sentient being all its own? Is it a merger between thousands upon thousands of souls? Is it simply like the walking dead? Is-"

"Riuni, calm down," Vincent interrupted. "What we know is that it can't be harmed by petty attacks; thus, a focused and sustained assault is our only option for fighting it. It has shown enough intelligence already to be capable of acting in clever methods - destroying the section of bridge seperating myself and Saahan proved that. According to Torvio, the goliath's midsection was part of the Lifestream - what that means for us, we don't know yet."

Azyr looked at Yuffie. "You lead this group now, yes?"

"Well... I guess so," she murmured.

"Do you, or do you not? Without a definitive leader, no progress shall be made," Azyr stated.

Yuffie looked away. "I don't feel comfortable leading... _this_."

"Nor does the Ancient," Azyr said. "Yet she was willing to take the burden upon herself. If she is still the leader of this group, I shall take the discussion to her."

Yuffie's eyes shifted to look at the distant figure of Aeris.

"You took charge in Torvio's maze," Riuni said softly. "You made the decision to kill Torvio so we could escape-"

"Yeah, I made that decision, and in the end, we didn't even do _that_." Yuffie's eyes moved to Torvio's distant figure. "I believe that if we make a plan, it'll be forced into the background while we accept an impromptu improvisation to cater to changing scenarios."

"Then I shall take this discussion to the Ancient," Azyr said stiffly. "Just remember: a leader who cannot decide whether or not to lead isn't fit to lead _anything_." She moved toward Aeris and Torvio.

Yuffie couldn't help but feel as though that barb were directed at her directly - and her future as the ruler of Wutai.

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Yuffie continued to stare at the cinderblossom, the conversation from earlier still repeating in her mind. Aeris and Torvio were nowhere to be found, while Riuni had said she was leaving them. "_It's only for a little while; there may be some sort of clue in the Forgotten City,_" Riuni had told her.

That left Vincent sitting near her, eyes upon her. "You don't know what to do."

"In which case?" Yuffie muttered.

"Either. You don't know whether or not to lead, and even then, you don't know whether or not to bring Saahan's essence back as Arveborne."

She gestured to the pale blue-green glow in the sky to her right. "Saahan did _that_ to Junon, whether because he directly ordered it, or because he indirectly enabled the goliath to do so. Of course I have my doubts about bringing him back... yet Riuni's right; only _he_ knows anything decisive about the goliath."

"...Azyr's words are bothering you."

Yuffie closed her eyes. "...Am I... will I _ever_ be fit to lead Wutai?" she whispered. "I can't even decide whether or not I'm leading this much smaller group... what's that say about an entire _nation_...?"

"You'll learn, Yuffie. Leadership takes time to learn and master; I'm sure your father didn't know how to effectively rule Wutai from the very first day he ascended."

She opened her eyes to stare at the cinderblossom once more. "I know... but it doesn't change the fact that, right now, I'm not sure about... well..."

He moved nearer her, sitting down directly next to her quietly. "This decision is, in its own way, much bigger than any choice you'll need to make for Wutai," he said quietly. "If you choose to lead, your decisions will affect the entire planet, for better or worse; Wutai can't even begin to compare to that scope. You took decisive action in that maze, where no one else would. Whether or not we followed through, you were willing to make that decision, and you did. It wasn't an easy choice; I myself was unsure of what to do in that scenario."

She fell toward Vincent, resting her head against his shoulder. "So you're saying I should lead...?"

He looked at her briefly. "That's your decision, in the end. I won't force you to do something if you don't want to. You're not a puppet, especially not to me." A pause. "Yuffie."

"Mm...?"

"Your head is resting on my shoulder."

She chuckled quietly. "Don't pretend you don't like it," she teased.

He gave the top of her head a glare. "Off. Now."

She straightened up without needing further coaxing. "Fine..." She looked at him as his expression softened. "Vince? I thought you wanted Riuni dead, no matter what... so why is it you haven't...?"

"Because the situation's been too dire to simply kill her." His tone grew agitated. "If she weren't so useful, I would've-"

"You still have... well, something for her. I'm not stupid, Vince," she added, cutting off the protest she knew was coming. "You 'want to believe her intentions are sincere', or something like that? You don't want to kill her; in fact, I think you want to try and find some way to reverse the Arveborne ritual's result - if such is possible."

"I also lack a gun," he responded. "Or perhaps you hadn't noticed-"

"That didn't stop you from impaling Saahan on your gauntlet," she reminded him. "_Or_ from transforming into the Galian Beast to _save her_, I may add."

Whatever response he had planned never reached her ears. The ground in front of them exploded, engulfing the cinderblossom in a flash of pale blue-green.

Within seconds, Vincent had seized Yuffie and put considerable distance between them and the tendril that was now transforming into a massive hand. "Hang on," Yuffie said, her voice trembling. "I thought you said this thing could only-"

"Form in the Lifestream? I never told you such a thing," he said, eyes watching the hand carefully. "The Lifestream, in case you forgot the lesson from Cosmo Canyon seven years ago, pulses throughout the planet. Wherever we stand, the Lifestream flows beneath."

She instinctively reached for her Conformer - only to curse; in her moment of fright, she forgot she didn't have the massive shuriken with her. "So what are we supposed to do?" she asked as the hole surrounding the hand grew to accomodate the head of the goliath.

He felt her tremble in fear. "At present? Nothing but flee. I don't see any other course of action for us. And even so, can we escape something that can attack us from _anywhere_...?"

"Not helping, Vince," she squeaked as the goliath's other arm burst through the ground.

They didn't register the sound of footsteps running toward them, and so they both jumped when they heard Torvio speak. "So... the monster returns," he murmured.

Aeris' voice spoke next. "We need to flee; we don't have a fighting chance."

"How does one outrun the planet, I wonder...?" Torvio said quietly. "No, we can't just flee; we need to fight, somehow."

"But-" Yuffie began. She turned to face them both...

...To see the grim expression on his face, and the fear in Aeris' eyes. "Even a paltry defense is a defense," Torvio said. "I, at least, can do _some_ damage... I may not be able to defeat it, but I can definitely buy you time to escape."

Yuffie felt her body attempt to sway - a motion stopped by Vincent's hands gripping her a little firmer. "You don't mean to-"

"There is no other option, Yuffie," Torvio replied. "Perhaps I was destined to survive the maze ordeal... so I could hold off the goliath now. You, at least, need to flee. Azyr's words spoke rather highly of you, suggesting you were key to everyone's survival."

Yuffie's expression was one of utter confusion, as the words Azyr had used to address her were far from generous.

Vincent looked at Yuffie for a moment, then to Torvio. "You're certain about this."

"Completely. Only I can do this, as egotistical as that may sound." Despite the situation, Torvio grinned. "Keep her safe, Vincent."

Aeris stepped closer to Torvio. "I'm staying with you," was all she said.

"A-Aeris-" Yuffie started.

"I... I don't belong here. I was essentially bound to Gaia by Saahan, I only continued to oppress because there was no other choice." Aeris' tone had grown somber. "Besides... from within the Lifestream, I may be able to figure out what's going on, and..." Her voice trailed.

Torvio looked at the Ancient. "Not nearly as epic as the grand alliance of the Arva and Cetra when the calamity threatened the entire planet millenia ago, but still somehow fitting that, once again, an Arva and Cetra unite to face a dire threat to the planet."

She gently took his hand and linked her fingers with his. "Fitting, indeed..." She looked him in the eyes. "I... I believe there's a certain... promise that needs to be fulfilled..."

He looked at her, nodding after a moment. "Indeed..." He looked at the goliath, who had since left nothing but a pale blue-green scar in the ground behind it as it had 'walked' toward them. "Vincent, get her out of here. I won't let my bravado be for naught if the goliath kills her. Should that happen, I swear I will come back somehow and bash your skull in with-"

Vincent chuckled. "The wrath of an Arva ghost... something I've never seen, something I don't _care_ to see." He picked Yuffie up from the ground, nodding. "Ancestors watch over you."

"_Your_ ancestors couldn't give two shits about me," Torvio said with a grin. "I do, however, understand what you're saying, and... I thank you for it."

Yuffie looked at Aeris. "I..."

Aeris simply looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Do what you believe is best, Yuffie."

Yuffie watched Aeris recede, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn't Aeris receding from her. Vincent had begun to run, holding Yuffie.

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"Torvio, there's... something I've been wanting to say..." Aeris said as Vincent took Yuffie from the area. She looked at the Arva. "I-"

"Don't you dare get all mushy on me, Aeris," Torvio said with a hint of a grin. "We have much more pressing matters to attend to, yes?"

Her eyes moved to the goliath, which had stopped a decent distance away from them - and yet, it was likely close enough to strike them both, given its sheer size. "We do, yes..."

He gave an almost sad smile. "I do regret that you were born Cetra, Aeris," he said matter-of-factly. "Were you not, we might have actually _had_ something at some point or another. Not that it matters now, of course..."

She looked back at him. "...I guess... this is farewell..."

"Not quite. Once this thing inevitably makes short work of me... well, the Lifestream is the final stop for both of us by that point."

"Are you afraid?" she asked quietly, moving closer to him.

"Absolutely terrified. I will admit, I'm honestly surprised I haven't shit myself yet." His amber aura began to swirl around him.

Aeris giggled. "That's fortunate... and sick at the same time."

"I suppose the state of my britches is hardly a concern for our friend here." He gestured to the goliath. He locked eyes with Aeris once more. "...Well, are _you_ afraid?"

"I've died once already," she whispered. "Dying again... I know what it feels like to die once."

"So yes."

She nodded. "I'd be a fool _not_ to be afraid."

He chuckled. "Well, my friend... we shall meet once more, in the Lifestream. Until then..." He pressed his lips against hers.

In that instant, Aeris felt her strength begin to fade away - as it had with the fanged vines in his maze. Yet this time, she wasn't as afraid; she knew that her time, once again, had come around.

After a few moments, Torvio found himself standing alone. His amber aura had grown in size from Aeris' own strength, and he chuckled. "A rare treat, that... a shame I'll likely never enjoy that again." His aura shifted around him, his body began contorting. Hands turned into razor-sharp claws, feet turning into massive clawed paws. His mouth elongated into a snout, horns sprouting from his head as well. A massive tail began to grow as he transformed. The grass on the ground around him leapt to his body in layers, providing what appeared to be grassy armor to his bestial body.

Once the transformation was complete, Torvio's true form - that of a massive amber behemoth, covered in thick armor comprised of grass - growled at the goliath. He pawed the ground with a front claw, charging the goliath a split second after completing the pawing motion.

The goliath sent a fist flying at Torvio - and seemed to act surprised when it connected with the grass armor, but to no effect whatsoever on Torvio _or_ the armor.

A smirk appeared at Torvio's jowls as he drove his massive horns into the goliath's chest. He tensed, then suddenly leapt through the air, his horns ripping two massive gouts in the goliath's chest. Faux-Lifestream gushed from the wounds as blood would, covering Torvio in the substance. His aura repelled the most harmful effects, however, and once he landed, he shook the faux-Lifestream from his body and grass armor.

The goliath reeled from the loss of faux-Lifestream, sealing the wound with pure Lifestream. It launched another punch at Torvio's massive form, bellowing in fury.

He charged the fist, leaping into the air to intercept it halfway. He swiped his right claw viciously at the fist, claws sinking in. He buried his left claw into the goliath's fist and, once his grip was secure, opened his jowls wide. He buried his snout into the goliath's fist and began to devour.

The goliath bellowed in pain, its other fist flying at the behemoth.

Grass wove itself into massive vines that glowed amber, and flew to catch the fist and hold it in place. Torvio continued to devour the goliath's fist until only a stump remained at the goliath's 'wrist', at which point he chose to land upon the ground once more. The vines seemed to shatter into grass blades once more, covering his body in protective armor again. He reared his head back and began to channel a powerful Thundaga spell between his horns, blasting the stump in an attempt to cauterize the wound and make it permanent.

The spell struck the goliath's 'wrist' full-force, but not before the goliath had managed to restore half of its hand. To his utter surprise, the ground beneath him shook as the spell tore through the goliath's wrist and traveled through its body - and he understood why.

_By attacking the goliath's body and causing it pain, I also caused the planet to shudder..._ He took a brief moment to ponder this, before charging the goliath's lower chest once more. Lightning crackled upon his horns before they buried into the goliath once more. He loosed a bestial roar before leaping into the air once more, horns beginning the same ascent he had performed the first time... except this time, the lightning was sealing the wound moments after faux-Lifestream erupted from the wound.

The goliath raised its fist above Torvio and, with surprising force, smashed Torvio from the air and pinned the behemoth to the ground. It bellowed furiously, fingers seizing Torvio's form, ignoring the fanged vines that tore through its hand upon contact. It lifted him into the air before descending beneath the ground - pulling Torvio's true form into the Lifestream with it.

_Ironic... the devourer becomes the devoured..._ was his last thought, before the Lifestream all around him overwhelmed his aura. Pale blue-green was all he saw before darkness overcame him.

And yet, in his last moment, the smirk upon his jowls never once vanished.

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Yuffie fell to her knees as the battle ended. Her eyes went wide. "I... I had... hoped, y'know...? He put up a good fight, and..." Her voice failed her.

Vincent nodded, eyes watching the spot where Torvio had been pulled under. "I didn't expect _that_. I, too, had dared hope he would actually defeat the goliath and end our troubles for us. So... _that_ is the might of an Arva in combat..."

"Indeed." Azyr's voice behind them made them both jump. Yuffie turned to face Azyr - and was stunned to see tears flooding from the Arva's eyes. "My brother... hadn't lived for millenia on luck."

"You're..."

Azyr wiped the tears away. "Unlike the other Arva, Torvio and I were _literal_ brother and sister. To call him brother... meant more than a simple term of respect for a fellow Arva. So yes, I am crying; I do believe I've earned the right to mourn the death of the only family I had left."

Vincent's eyes never left the spot where their seemingly best hope had been defeated. "...So now what happens to us? He was the only one who seemed to have a chance, and with him defeated..."

Azyr chuckled despite her tears. "He knew he was only stalling for time... he fought valiantly, intent on inflicting as much damage as possible... yet he never once deluded himself that he was capable of defeating the goliath... he had no chance, Valentine. It only appeared he did because you were watching."

Yuffie watched Azyr for a moment. "...I see no other choice now, Azyr... we don't have the luxury of doing the damage Torvio did to the goliath-" Her eyes widened. "...Wait, he destroyed..." Her voice trailed.

Azyr nodded grimly. "He destroyed part of the Lifestream in his battle, yes. Suffice to say... what was once Mount Nibel..."

Vincent tore his eyes from the scene of the battle and looked at Yuffie. "You're going to pursue the midnight Arveborne idea," he stated.

Yuffie nodded slowly. "First Edge... then Junon. And now Mount Nibel became a casualty during that fight... we don't have the ability to put up a fight against the goliath whatsoever... so we need to discern a weakness. There is no other choice... we must create a midnight Arveborne." Her eyes looked at Azyr.

Azyr shook her head, to Yuffie's dismay. "I, as my brother did, refuse to do such a thing. Bringing midnight's essence back is foolish."

"Do _you_ have any better ideas?" Yuffie countered.

To this, the Arva had no response.

"Then we need to either wait for Riuni to return... or go to the Forgotten City ourselves and meet her there." Vincent looked at Azyr. "Even if _you_ won't perform the ritual... would you at least bring us to Riuni?"

Azyr's eyes flicked to the scene of the battle, and for the first time they'd seen, she appeared to have doubts. "...I will give you one final warning against such foolishness. Whether you decide to heed that warning or not is your decision." She beckoned both of them toward her, her aura swirling upon the ground between them. "Step inside; you will arrive at the Forgotten City well before she does, but perhaps you can find inspiration from the city before you follow through with this insane plan of yours."

* * *

_And so, five becomes three._

_'But wait a minute, didn't Torvio tell Aeris he transformed into a cactuar?' Well, yes he did, but frankly... he didn't feel like telling the truth to her at that time. Besides, would she have believed he transformed into a behemoth? I doubt it, personally._

_This was to be the fate of Torvio; the devourer fights the Lifestream goliath, only to be defeated by the Lifestream. Thus, 'the devourer becomes the devoured'. Yeah, they've lost their only true Arva ally (Azyr, believe it or not, is still 'on the fence' about this). Will they pull through, though? Time will tell._

_I can't believe the snow we're getting now. It was practically a solid sheet of white coming down just a couple hours ago. Not as bad now, but the fact that it's been snowing since about seven this morning says something... (it's one in the afternoon where I live)._

_So yeah, World of Warcraft, while fun... has taken a backseat in my gaming pastimes. Lately, I've been more into my copy of City of Heroes: Going Rogue. I'm having a blast so far, even if my highest level character is only level 7. There's nothing wrong with World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, I'm just... well, it was fun to level my warlock main to 85 the first time; leveling my paladin to 85 next is kind of... well, I just wish Deepholm, Uldum and Twilight Highlands weren't the only zones in Cataclysm for their level ranges. It gets dull doing the same quests a second time through... and never mind my night elf mage, who's presently level 55, I think... just five levels away from Outland stuff, which, compared to the rest of the new content (level 1-60 content got a massive overhaul and is actually amazing now) just BLOWS. And then Northrend after Outland, followed by Mount Hyjal/Vashj'ir, followed by Deepholm...? I can't get myself into the right mindset for it... besides, City of Heroes is fun times for me. Just last night, I had someone whose Super Group (a guild, basically) has been around for 4 years show me around his 'guild' base. There are no bases in WoW. We can PRETEND there are bases in WoW, but there are none in WoW. This base in CoH was just AMAZING to look at - so much so, my connection also got overexcited and crashed on me for the rest of the night. (sigh) But at least now I know that there's so much more to a 'guild' in CoH than just being a collection of friends talking via a channel._

_Right, enough game rant..._

_Next chapter, the surviving three begin to have doubts. Even if the future midnight Arveborne does help them discover a weakness, will they be able to actually DO anything, armed as they'd be with that knowledge? And what happens when the goliath proves relentless in its pursuit of them? Will yet another fall to the merciless brutality of Saahan's faux-Lifestream? -Spiritslayer_


	20. Loss

Riuni froze, head turning until she was eventually looking southward. _Torvio's aura just... _she thought. She felt a chill run the entire length of her spine. _It's gone... was Torvio killed...?_ She bit her lip anxiously. _Now, more than ever... it's a race against the goliath's rage..._ She faced forward once more and continued on her way to the center of the Forgotten City, picking up the pace.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Azyr sat down in the clearing of her sanctum, closing her eyes. "There must be some way..." She looked at the trees idly. "Brother... what should we do...?"

Silence met her ears, and she sighed. "I guess... there's only one thing _to_ do..." Her blue aura swirled around her slowly at first, then quickly becoming a violent vortex. The vortex whipped her hair around her fiercely, lifted her off the ground and suspended her in the air. She took a deep breath and, after a few moments, let it out in a slow exhale.

"Ancestors guide my sight..." she whispered quietly, slipping into a meditative state.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Riuni's jaw dropped. "You two!" she exclaimed.

Vincent and Yuffie looked in Riuni's direction. They were both sitting upon a fallen tree's trunk. "Here you are," Vincent said.

"How'd you get here before me?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Azyr sent us here once Torvio..." Yuffie's voice trailed. "...Aeris is gone, too. Now, it's just the three of us to fight the goliath..."

Riuni shuddered. "This is insane..." she murmured. "None of us have anywhere near the strength to... to fight it." She shook her head. "Never mind that; Azyr sent you here?"

Yuffie nodded. "She sent us here in hopes we'd find some alternative. She doesn't want us creating a midnight Arveborne, and insists there's some other option to pursue."

She rubbed her temples gently. "There _is_ no alternative..."

"My thoughts exactly," Yuffie replied, standing. "We have no other method of finding _anything_ about the goliath; unfortunately, we need a midnight Arveborne..."

Riuni looked at Vincent. "Are you alright? You've been... you've been quiet."

He shrugged lightly, looking away. "Trying to think of some way we could possibly win..." His hand flicked to the empty holster, eyes glowering slightly at it. "It's infuriating that we've lost so much already, and have nothing to show for it."

Yuffie bit her lower lip, nodding grimly. "I know... that's what makes this midnight Arveborne plan even... well, crazier. But it's what we need to do if we want an upper hand." Her eyes moved to Riuni. "Can you do it now, or is there something you need to prepare?"

"I can try," Riuni replied slowly. "It usually requires preparation, but not that much. I can try and do it, yes." She stepped forward. "I'd... time is short, so I'd need one of you to volunteer."

Silence settled between them, a silence that was pierced by Vincent's feet thumping to the ground as he stood. "I'll volunteer to become the Arveborne."

"But-"

Yuffie's protest was cut off by Vincent's glare. "Yuffie, you're the leader, and there's no telling what this will do to me - I'm not going to endanger our leader recklessly. In addition, this doesn't sound so different from what I went through when Hojo performed his twisted experiments on me."

Riuni gave him a sad smile. "You know... it's strange. In the past, you said you didn't want to become a 'monster', but now..."

He glanced at her, then away again. "I'm doing this out of necessity, not because I want to. This is for Gaia."

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Crimson flickered in and out of Azyr's vision at split-second intervals. Her eyes moved behind closed lids, attempting to understand what she was seeing.

_Crimson... pale blue-green... black?_ Her brows furrowed in frustration as she attempted to discern what she was seeing.

Suddenly, everything cleared. She saw Gaia from a distance, as though from space. She took a moment to look at it, to observe it. What she saw made her gasp, and broke her concentration. The vortex swirling around her subsided, lowered her to the ground slowly. She stared into space absentmindedly, understanding the vision she'd just witnessed.

"...That's the answer..." she whispered at last. "That's the answer..."

She swirled her azure aura around her and formed a portal beneath her feet. "I can only hope it isn't too late yet..." she murmured as she descended through it.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Yuffie watched as Riuni wove a spell over Vincent, forcing him to sleep. "Riuni, is this really-"

"He'll be fine," Riuni interjected. "You don't need to worry, Yuffie - the process is safe."

"That's not what I was going to ask." Yuffie watched as Riuni eased Vincent onto his back. "Is this really the _best_ choice? Why does it have to be-"

"He has a point..." Riuni sighed softly. "You're our leader, and besides that... the Arva's essence, it... it _whispers_ to the Arveborne. It takes time to get accustomed to. Vincent has dealt with three other entities, yes? He's most qualified in that regard - he's best prepared to deal with the whisperings of Saahan." She closed her eyes and focused, her emerald aura sweeping the air in a searching manner.

Yuffie shifted uneasily. "...I don't know about this... I just..."

Riuni gave her an exasperated look as her aura swarmed one spot. "Yuffie, just trust me, please. Nothing's going to go wrong, I promise." Her aura compressed into a thick shell and drifted back toward her. Hints of midnight black were very faintly visible through the emerald shell.

Yuffie frowned, unable to shake the sense of unease. "Is that...?"

Riuni silently nodded as she released the midnight black essence from the shell. "Yes - Saahan's essence. I'll need to guide this directly to Vincent, and from there, it'll be up to him to incorporate the midnight essence. It's easier than you may think."

The essence drifted toward Vincent's prone form and paused momentarily. Riuni's emerald aura pushed the midnight essence closer to Vincent's form, urging it closer. "Come on..." Riuni urged quietly. The essence complied silently, drifting into Vincent's body slowly.

Almost as though the essence drifting into Vincent were a cue, the ground began to rumble beneath them, causing Yuffie to pale and Riuni to groan. "Oh no..." the Arveborne muttered. "Not _now_... he still needs to accomodate..."

The ground erupted in a mess of pale blue-green substance, a good distance from them, but still close enough to be unsettling. The Lifestream formed into a hand, accompanied by a matching hand near it. A head erupted between the two hands as the goliath lifted itself through the ground. It bellowed angrily at them, one hand slamming down upon the ground before it.

Yuffie stepped back. "Leviathan, no..." she whispered. "Isn't there... I mean, can't we...?"

Riuni blinked. "Wait... that might do it..." She looked at Yuffie. "I understand Wutai has claimed Leviathan's materia, and reveres him as a god... do you have that materia with you?"

Yuffie shook her head. "No, that's back in Wutai. Were you suggesting-"

"It would've been a stall, but we could buy time if we can summon and distract," Riuni said with a nod. "Enough time for Vincent to incorporate Saahan's essence into-"

The goliath's hand slammed through the ground not more than a yard away from Vincent's unconscious form. Its gaze shifted to Vincent, making both of them gasp uneasily. "Oh, hell..." Yuffie gasped. "If the goliath-"

"Run!" Riuni shouted, sprinting toward Vincent. "I'll get him out of here! You focus on escaping!"

"But I-" She looked at Vincent. "I can't leave Vince behind! I need him!"

"Just go! Don't worry so much about him!" Riuni looked at the goliath's hand as it ripped through the ground, rising into the air for another strike. "Go! You, at least, need to live! The rest of us are expendable, so-"

The goliath's roar cut her off, and prompted Yuffie to run toward Riuni and Vincent. "Ri, Vince!" she shouted.

"No, you _idiot_!" Riuni snapped. She picked Vincent up carefully, looking up - to see the goliath's fist fall upon both of them.

"_NO!_" Yuffie screamed as the fist slammed into both of them, puncturing the ground beneath them in the process. She stared, stunned, as the goliath's hand emerged once again - this time aiming at her.

She felt the goliath's hand slam into her, felt her feet lift off the ground as she soared backward. Her consciousness swam uneasily, the shock of what she'd seen overwhelming her mind.

"You must be strong, Yuffie Kisaragi. Only you can stand against the evil." The same, mysterious voice she'd heard from Edge spoke to her again, the voice clear in her mind. She tried to identify it once again, but after a few moments of fighting for her consciousness, she lost the 'battle' and blacked out.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

"...alright?" she heard a voice ask.

"I don't know... she hasn't moved yet, so..." she heard another voice respond.

The first voice snorted. "Damn brat's more trouble than she's worth."

"We still love her," the second voice replied. "Go. I'll keep an eye on her."

She heard a door open and close with a couple seconds' pause in between. "...Ow..." she groaned quietly.

"Yuffie!" she heard the second voice exclaim. She felt arms wrap around her in a tight hug. "You're alright... I thought... when you were pulled into the Lifestream at Edge, I thought you were..." The voice trailed.

Yuffie cracked an eye open, closing it instantly; the light overhead was blinding. "Oh, come on..." she grumbled. "Why's that bright light gotta be in my eyes...?" She slowly started to realize her currrent situation, and she attempted to bolt upright. "Wait a- where am I?"

Tifa Lockheart let go of her friend and sat back. "You're onboard Cid's airship. We... it's difficult to explain, but we got a... a vision from someone with azure hair... she told us to... to hurry to the Forgotten City. When we got there, you were out cold, and... and there were holes in the ground that reminded me of Edge."

Yuffie flopped backward again, groaning. "Dammit... if only she-" Her eyes went wide. "Ri... Vince! Tifa, did you- are they-"

Tifa shook her head slowly. "We didn't see Vincent, no... you were all alone down there."

Tifa's words numbed Yuffie's mind, made her feel sick to her stomach. "...Vince..." she whispered.

"Yuffie, what's going on? You _know_ what's going on - don't you lie to me." Tifa's voice became stern, her expression hard. "What's... no, _who_ destroyed Edge? Who's causing all this trouble for... for all of us?"

All Tifa got in response was a very faint sob from Yuffie. She sighed softly and stood. "Look... collect yourself first... we deserve to know the truth now, and you can't deny that." She stepped toward the door, trying to ignore the repeating sobs coming from Yuffie. "...I'm sorry, but if we're going to help you, we need to know everything." The door slid open, and Tifa stepped outside the room. "...And..." She turned back to Yuffie, fighting back tears of her own. "...I'm sorry about Vincent..." She turned away and let the door slide closed, leaving Yuffie to her thoughts.

"...Why am I so worthless...?" Yuffie whispered, letting the tears fall from her eyes freely.

"You're not worthless," came a voice that made her jump. She looked up - to see an azure portal open in the wall, Azyr stepping through it.

"A-Azyr! I-" Yuffie began, cut off by Azyr as the Arva lifted a hand to silence her.

"I know what you've done. You've created a midnight Arveborne, despite my warnings." She stepped toward Yuffie. "You were foolish to do so."

Yuffie hung her head. "I know I shouldn't have... I'm sorry, but-"

"I was wrong." Azyr's statement stunned Yuffie. "I've had a vision, one that shows a glimmer of hope for our survival. Contrary to my prior beliefs, we _do_ need a midnight Arveborne."

"...S-so then..." Yuffie began slowly. "You're not... mad...?"

Azyr shook her head. "Where is the Arveborne?"

Yuffie bit her lower lip. "Vince became the midnight Arveborne, and..." She drew a ragged breath. "...The goliath came to the Forgotten City. Vince and Riuni..." She uttered a small sob. "...They were struck by the goliath, and the ground beneath them..."

Azyr closed her eyes. "They're gone, you mean."

Silence settled between them, then...

"There might still be hope."

Azyr's statement made Yuffie gasp. "Wh-what?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, you need to fill your friends in on what's going on. They've saved your life, but they've also been dragged into this one way or another. You and I will talk later." She extended a small, blue rod to Yuffie. "Break this when you've finished speaking with your friends."

Yuffie took it uncertainly. "Azyr..."

"Yes?"

"I... whenever I come in contact with the Lifestream, I-"

Azyr shook her head. "Tell me this after you've spoken with your friends. We have much to discuss once you've finished." A swirl of her aura, and Azyr was gone through a portal.

* * *

_And then there was one? Or are there two? I'll leave that to you to think about._

_So... yes, it's been a long, long time, and I'm very ashamed that it's taken me this long to update. I've had this chapter ready for a few months now, but I tried figuring up the next chapter as well and... I'm dissatisfied with it. My own critique is crippling the story, but that's the way of it..._

_Changes, changes, so many changes... I've lost track of most of them. World of Warcraft, I still play. My level 85 night elf mage is quite enjoying her new role as both my main and my jewelcrafter. I haven't done dailies with her recently, but for all intents and purposes, she _is_ my main. I've also managed to get a rogue who I played around with for a while up to level 85, and she's heroic-ready, as far as gear goes - still trying to figure up spec, rotation, and all that fun stuff. I've also relocated realms - from Wyrmrest Accord to Moon Guard. While Moon Guard has a reputation that precedes it (as in, I heard terrible things about it even before my move to Wyrmrest Accord), I've come to learn it's not as bad as the negativity makes it out to be. Just got to avoid the one trouble spot that starts with 'G' and ends with 'e'._

_Magic: The Gathering - I'm slowly getting into tournaments, though this is on and off. I actually placed 3rd in the last one I entered, although this was with a deck that, while I know the intricacies of it inside and out (c'mon, green elf beats? easy enough), it's not actually my deck. As such, my brother (to whom said deck belongs) was granted a portion of the winnings, as agreed between us. Winning with his elf deck made me appreciate the beauty of 'green weenie', and I decided to go for my attempt at one-upping him. Next tournament I enter, I'm running my revamped 'Goblins om nom' deck. (this is easier to accept if you don't question the 'om nom' part)_

_Skyrim. If you even_ utter_ this word to me, I will find you and slap you. I hate this game, but not because it sucks - I hate it because it _had_ to be released shortly after I found out my XBox 360 is suffering 'Ring of Death' (3 lights flashing red on the ring of light around the power button, for those who don't know what it means). I bought it for the PC instead, somehow _deluding_ myself that my computer could run Skyrim effectively. I will admit that I've played through the first part, and have escaped Helgen and reached Riverwood without dying - but I give sole credit to Ralof, because he was the one really killing anything with my low framerate hindering me. The only thing _I _actually killed wa_s _the big bear he suggested we just sneak past - looking back, it was the worst decision I could've made, even despite the fact that I killed the bear in one shot. Yay me - still a powerful archer in Elder Scrolls. But the reason I hate Skyrim is because... I've seen the graphics. I've seen the gameplay. I've seen a glimmer of the storyline... and I know my computer isn't up to snuff, so now I'm stuck waiting for a way to fix my 360, _then_ I'm stuck trying to save up for the 360 version of Skyrim. Skyrim is _gorgeous_... and I refuse to do the game injustice by playing it on a computer that won't support the game even on Low graphical settings._

_The biggest change, however, is that I'm going to try putting a bigger focus on my writing again. I've met someone who's managed to encourage (or make me delude myself) that my writing is better than I give myself credit for, and I'm going to try approaching the next chapter of **The Dying Stream** from a different (not vastly so, however) angle._

_Speaking of the next chapter... Yuffie fills in her friends about everything that's transpired, then goes to speak with Azyr. What is the hope Azyr spoke of, and is it truly even a 'hope' to begin with? -Spiritslayer  
_


End file.
